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Mobile marketing
In a recent report published by Informa Telecoms and Media, it predicts that there will be 2.1bn mobile subscribers globally by the end of the year, rising to nearly 4bn in 2011. While not all these devices will be able to accept new media advertsing ( such as MMS, video streaming ) it does offer a opportunity for marketeers to engage in a more personal and immediate dialouge than most other channels. With opporunity there are always risks, for example the screen. Due to the format of the , we are less likely to accept the traditional formats of advertising, simply cutting adverts to a shorter length does not work, they should be formatted and built specifically for mobile.
Ad’s need to include an element of interactive within ( if for example a video ) with the red button playing an important role for time sensitive people, I may not want the entire brand message and am happy to purchase - I need to be given that option. Topping and tailing , sandwiching , adding bumpers – or whatever terms you with to use by placing short messages before the content seems to be a little on the ‘ basic ‘ side considering the possibilities the technology holds.
Consider - you have the following information
- Who the person actually is – something TV is unable to do
- There location
- The history of there browsing and any electronic trading they may have done ( once e-money becomes prevalent )
Add to this the willingness of people to build online profiles to again narrow their interests it should mean that search should lead to contextual and relevant messages to the individual.
Simply enhancing the engines behind Google and Yahoo will help, but not eradicate irrelevant content being delivered to an already crowded screen.
I do not believe the model of ‘ paying ‘ people with free minutes before they hit the content is also of value - you are simply paying people for something they do not wish to see, therefore they will ignore. Make the content relevant in the first place, the fact they are mobile indicates they will have a higher propensity to purchase.
It should be
- Relevant both in context and geography
- Offer benefit , some form of redemption or ease of transaction ( the items could be put on hold, paid for through e-money remotely or a simple map to the nearest stockists
- Not too frequent
- Be of a format that compliments the delivery medium, after all it is the medium that is putting adding additional context of the original message.
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You Tube - the long tail
YouTube - the long tail
YouTube, the popular free video sharing web site which lets users upload, view, and share video clips has again been in the press recently ( in addition to the Google purchase ) This time it’s not the video of air force one being been ‘ tagged ‘ by an urban graffiti artist Marc Ecko ( true sense of viral, all the budget was directed at hiring the plane, they used the free medium of the internet and Word of Mouth for distribution ) , the focus that was taking the headlines - copyright infringement.
Since it’s inception in 2005 YouTube has seen astronomical growth in unique visitors and also content served. A recent Nielsen study showed that weekly web traffic to the site grew to over 12.8 million unique visitors, the top 4 videos have amassed a massive 70 million viewings with the most popular, bringing in over 33 million viewings.
The issue
YouTubes model of ‘ self policing ‘ or reporting of copyright infringement by the owner with the added complexities around copyright fair use of material ( which is subjective and difficult to understand ) has lead to Universal publicly announcing there desire to pursue YouTubes for copyright infringement.
Doug Morris the CEO of Universal outlined their sentiment pointing to violation of copyright laws on the site and being owed “ tens of millions of dollars “
An example of user generated videos with a copyright infringement, a lip synced rendition of a Pixes song ‘ Hey ‘. Latest viewing figures are above 9 million for this one clip alone, quite staggering for a video shot in a bedroom.
So this, combined with the view of some that the site itself cannot survive with its present advertising model alone spell disaster for one of the webs most popular sites ? possibly not.
In September Warner Brothers music signed a deal with YouTube which effectively allowed use of all back catalogue and future releases through the site.
With the use of technology ( still to be deployed within the site ) Warner bothers will effectively be able to scan and identify all content for copyright material, allowing it either to be removed or collect payment for the work.
Similar technology called “Johnny” developed in conjunction with the Motion Picture Association of America, Inc. (MPAA) is already being utilised through the video on demand site Guba.com. Is able to time slice audio and video comparing the scans to a vast database to identify video and audio sequences, perfect for tracking down lip synced user videos with copyrighted audio.
Just how Universal expects YT expects to extract royalty fees from students who have lip synced to Madonna still needs to be answered, however with the technology identification system flagging use of copyrighted material leads into some possible interesting revenue options. Maybe using a weighted metric for identifying which of there artists are being used, the studios could ask for a % of the advertising revenue, however a more exciting proposition exists which really expands the potential to engage.
By understanding what viewers are in effect watching ( or not as the case is with the bastardised versions people upload ) the ability to utilize contextual promotions can be explored.
The very breadth and volume which is represented on YT makes the site a perfect candidate for the ‘ Long Tail ‘ of selling products.
“The long tail “
“Products that are in low demand or have low sales volume can collectively make up a market share that rivals or exceeds the relatively few current bestsellers and blockbusters, if the store or distribution channel is large enough “ - Chris Anderson of Wired Magazine wrote in 2005 prompting worldwide discussion and a subsequent book of the same name .
As an example of this in action is Amazons business. While no hard facts are available as to the actual numbers , Amazons ‘ long tail ‘ figures range from 20 – 36% of items that are purchased outside of the top 100,000. Wired magazine points other long tail industries such as Real Networks Rhapsody and the very fact that nearly every one of it’s 400,000 records is at some point streamed and gives you an indication of the potential YouTube represents.
YouTube’s model fits perfectly into this low cost of storage delivery service , the Wall Street Journal reported over 6 million videos being online – but here’s the rub, of this it is estimated 90% uses in some form copyrighted material.
Sensing an opportunity , Warner’s partnering with YouTube will offers both an effective awareness and retail opportunities. Pursuing the punter in the street for royalty fees is not.
They ( Warner ) recognise that this medium is one where they can connect with an ever more increasingly difficult buyer. Just like Napster , this medium will not be going away in the near future and rather than fight as Universal seem intent on to claim royalties, they are connecting with a young, dynamic audience.
Even today without these purchasing vehicles in place in place, Warner is encouraging users to incorporate content so short term they are raising “band” awareness. Once purchase options are contextually offered ( with the extension of technology ) presents the opportunity to purchase of either the album, DVD or merchandise. Warner will be in an advantageous position in this ever increasingly important online social community.
YouTube represents a great portal for delivery, the ability to build strong brand advocates and strong growth through Word of mouth , and when finally implemented the correct technology will offer opportunities to explore revenue.
In the end though, If YT is unable to pacify Universal the very fabric of the site will be removed, it will become just another Virtual Delivery service to add to the long list of others.
I know I would have bought the backstreet boys after watching those Chinese students sing into their brushes.
Nielsen snippets July 2006
Web traffic to video sharing site YouTube grew 75 percent in
the week ending July 16th, from 7.3 million to 12.8 million unique visitors.
Average time being spent within the site standing 28 minutes ( compared to over 2 hours for Myspace
YouTube’s audience has grown significantly over the past several months. Among the top 25 Web brands ranked by unique audience,
YouTube was the fastest growing from January to June 2006, increasing 297
percent, from a monthly unique audience of 4.9 million to 19.6 million (see Table 1).
The number of Web pages viewed has grown even faster, increasing 515 percent, from 117.6 million in January to 724.0 million in June.
Visitors between 12-17 years old index the highest among the
various age groups. They are nearly 1.5 times more likely than the average Web user to go to YouTube
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SMS - still on the rise.....
Mobile Life survey conducted by YouGov, raises some statistics, which fail to surprise and demonstrates their proliferation :
Of 16,500 adults surveyed
- 14% have two or more phones they use regularly
- On average they make 2.8 calls per day, with an average of 3.6 text messages
- Using data from the mobile data association , during the month of July 3.5 billion text were sent - which equates to 50 text messages per day for every woman, man and child for Great Britain
- 70% replace their phones every 18 months , choosing function as the most important decider
- 64% would be happy to use the phone to pay for small items , such as bus and tube tickets – at present 20% of people pay the London congestion charge in this way.
- An overwhelming majority of people cannot survive a day without their mobile phone,
And finally , only 14% of those surveyed would turn there phone off during sex…….
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Credibility
How can we enhance our credibility on the web - building credibility within one segment, does not always flow through to other areas of commerce should these be disjointed.
Tesco has done a great job of building an elastic brand surrounding value, how do other businesses tackle expansion into new and diverse areas which may not always be linked in the consumers mind. Ikarma’s offering may be an insight in how this could be tackled – their solution is a independent ratings portal which allows all your customer to leave feedback on your products and services which not linked to a single portal ( such as Amazons and ebays ratings systems )
Finding a trusted reliable source for a builder or plumber should surely give merit – it would make perfect sense for online directories Yellow to include this information in their online offering . Organisations can build credibility which is portable, they could expand into different services or product offering, leveraging their history and legacy to add instant weight in there new field of operation. While not guaranteeing success, it is better than starting with a clean slate with your new customers.
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When Google gets it wrong
Type ' Rolex Watches ' into google images ( please be aware this is pornongraphic in nature ) ........
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Cnet - contextual advertising .... again
Searching on CNET for a camera, you find the great information and comparison tools which are playing a more important role in product sales.
While the channels for purchase are now ' one click ', with warranty support normally involving shipping back to a warehouse for replacement these information sites and price comparison portals are providing increasing important role.
Cnet , at the beginning of each product demo, has a 15 second advert of a relevant supplier ..... well , if you live in the US. You are also presented with buying options ( all sponsored ) again , all for the US.
CNET therefore interrupt you as a consumer to deliver a completely irrelevant message, they also then make the purchasing decision one which you take into your own hands and do not maximise the value they are offering to there partners and sponsors.
I know for a fact that delivering indents that are both contextual ( based on profile ) and geographical is not impossible , it would significantly improve revenue streams both sides of the pond - else, we are getting back to broadcast...... actually , even they deliver country specific advertising ......
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Customer service feedback - whats the point
I am amazed at the number of businesses that always ask for feedback or comments, good or bad, then to do nothing with them You never see though it being acted upon - when was the last time you gave poisitive feedback..... were you offered alternative products or discounts for you or your friends ( we all know brand advocates are a positive force to have ). Remeber , bloggers out there are doing this already, they are talking about your brands , products and services . Direct and harness this feedback into your media and sales channels, connect with these champions and help them talk about all the great things they love about your company. My bad experiences , Why unless escalated and followed up upon never have a call back or email trying to understand more, let alone try and recifiy the situation. So a word to all of you customer service people, act upon the information I have taken time to give to you, make it a positive experience, even if the outcome is not to my satisfaction and I switch to a competitor , rest assured I will be back and loyal once they do the same in 6 months time once I have had a chance to compare.
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