Three Minds On Digital Marketing @ Organic

image credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/beauteous/

Consumers Are Choosing Life
In advertising, campaigns - series of messages that share a single idea and theme - have for decades been the central concept for forming promotional activities.

The advertising industry has been rooted in the idea of the campaign - that is what agencies, by and large, do. And campaigns come and go, while a few overarching themes in them are constantly refreshed with new pieces of creative.

Now, even as ad agencies have been migrating into the digital space, most of them have continued to approach what they do through the idea of a campaign. And the idea of a campaign is the idea of ups and downs. When the campaign is running, there's media in the market, and the audience grows. But as soon as the media ceases or as soon as all the people have seen the campaign, the audience breaks up and drives off. And then the agency and the client are on to the next campaign. That's what the entire advertising business has largely been about.

But those who see the future of this business in the digital age are starting to see the rise of platforms. Platforms that are built to last. Platforms don't necessarily go into the market with a bang, with lots of media buy, but they grow over time. Platforms are rooted in utility, and they provide something that the customer, the audience, will feel like using, and using again and again. The best and most pervasive platforms become a part of the audience's lives. They're more like services and tools than a 30-second spot or a clever billboard ad.

And when the platform encourages the audience to create and distribute their own content and when it aggregates it from various sources, it then becomes a media engine for the advertiser. The content, the comments, and overall enthusiasm from the audience feeds back into the platform, which can then churn out the content back to the audience again. And that content is much more real, much more authentic than traditional advertising material, because it comes from the audience itself. That content is what is called earned media.

The most well-known example of this kind of platform is the Nike+ which Adweek awarded as the Digital Campaign of the Decade (noting the irony).

The problem with these platforms to many in the advertising and media buy+sell industry is that they don't match the idea that we've had for so long of what is advertising. To envision, design and develop these platforms, it takes a different kind of a team, a different set of talent than what's been used in traditional advertising. And it takes a different mindset. The way that people consume media, the way that they connect, is now driven much more by technology than it was before. To develop platforms, a new breed of creative technologists need to get a real seat at the creative ideation table. And, perhaps even more importantly, to make sense of all the different connections, links and experiences across different technologies and devices, agencies need Experience Leads to replace the old definition of Creative Directors. It's an opportunity, rather than a threat, for all of us, whether we're coming from the "digital" or the "traditional" side, to grow and explore new things.

Sure, old style campaigns will most likely still be made for a good while, as this giant industry slowly changes, just like VHS tapes were sold for a time after the coming of the DVD. But forward thinking individuals, agencies and clients have started to realize the change that is taking place. And this change is driven by the consumer, the audience, who, ultimately, is our real source of income. If we lose the attention of that group, we lose our business.

Change is often scary, but think about it: wouldn't it be nice to get away from the ups and downs of the campaign era, and enter a new era of sustainable growth?

Karri Ojanen

Brand advocacy is a term that is thrown around a lot within the social media spectrum. Conversations usually center on finding brand advocates who will serve as a social media lightning rod and generate an avalanche of user-generated content from a community based on their actions. Marketers are just as likely to find these mythical advocates as they are to track down Big Foot riding a unicorn.

Igniting a social media avalanche does benefit greatly by finding exceptional advocates; however, marketers can't simply rely on finding the right catalysts to spark success. Here are five myths brands need to free themselves from before they can deploy a successful brand advocacy program:
   
1.  They aren't out there looking for you.

Guess what? People have been sharing tips and advice on products brands they use and love long before advertisers realized the power of word-of-mouth (WOM) marketing. Consumers will continue to do so regardless of a brand's interaction, to help their friends, being acknowledged for their expertise, and sharing something they have found. It's the brands that need these people to help them authenticate and speak to potential customers they can't reach with ad dollars. However, marketers cannot expect these advocates to fall into their lap. If marketers don't have a CRM program, a strategy to reach out to bloggers and loyalists in niche forums, or any other venue for consumers to raise their voice, then you don't have a brand advocacy strategy.
   
2.  Some of your best advocates might not be your current customers.

What many brands fail to realize is that sometimes advocacy has nothing to do with a particular product and everything to do with a lifestyle. People who love Jeep, for example, may be fans of the brand in spirit as they associate with the car maker's branded outdoor adventure lifestyle long before, and even long after, they are owners of the vehicle. Some of your brand's biggest loyalists might not be talking about the company at all but talking about other products or activities that fit in with this lifestyle, including GPS devices, off-road trails and quality tires. While a truly great advocate will be able to speak about a product passionately and authentically, marketers shouldn't limit their search to current customers.
   
3.  It's not the size of your pool of fans, it's how you use them.

Coca-cola has 4 million fans. FAGE Greek Yogurt has 36K fans. Does that mean that Coca-cola is over 100 times more successful than FAGE in terms of brand advocacy? Well, that depends. What is the value of an advocate for Coca-cola versus FAGE or any other brand for that matter? I find myself asking, what does Coca-cola even need a Facebook fan page for? Coca-cola does not lack in awareness, but the purchase decision is largely made in the last steps at the grocery store as the result of a sale or coupon or is tied to beverage brand loyalty. But for FAGE, a small-time yogurt brand without much awareness, each one of their 36K fans could represent an opportunity for a new customer, coupon-pusher or a new voice piece to spread awareness to their circle of friends.
   
4.  A Facebook fan does not directly equate to a brand advocate.

For many people, becoming a "fan" of a brand on Facebook is as meaningful as acquiring a new bumper sticker or a patch on a heavily collaged backpack. It's a symbol of a lifestyle, it's a funny statement to their friends and is as temporarily interesting as the flow of the newsfeed that day. Ninety percent of the time a user spends on Facebook is in the newsfeed, so after they hit that "fan" button they likely will never return to your fan page. So while your fan page might say 10,000 "fans," that doesn't mean you have 10,000 "advocates." What it does mean, however, is that you have as many as 10,000 opportunities - but realistically probably much fewer - to create advocacy.
   
5.  Recognition, while always important, is not one-size-fits-all
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Some advocates are altruistic, so in love with your brand and what it means to them that they aren't particularly looking for a reward. Others need to be motivated by the allure of something a little extra to come out of their shell. In either case, recognition can't hurt as it lets people know their participation is appreciated as they further the brand's awareness goals. However, approaches to recognition are not one-size-fits-all, as they have to be evaluated closely by audience and by industry. In other words, what does your audience want? The prize of "front page of YouTube" exposure that might appeal to the 18-year-old girl posting a video of herself singing about a new energy drink is likely going to terrify the middle-aged man or woman opening up about their use of incontinence products. Both should be rewarded, but not in the same way.

With the right mixture of targeting, motivation and recognition marketers can create the wave of user-generated content and goodwill that they crave from their social media strategies. There are many ways to do this but developing a stable of knowledgeable evangelists is a boon to marketers. Rather than simply locating brand advocates, marketers must also inspire evangelists within their community by delivering fun, engaging social media experiences to create a thriving online community. Once a community is effectively promoting members from within to carry the brand torch, marketers can claim victory in the social media space.

Marta Strickland

Editor's Note: This piece originally appeared in DM News.

Check this out: Nutella's top three Facebook fan pages gather more than 5 million Nutella spooners or spreaders and the numbers are growing exponentially. The main page is No. 3 on Facebook, on the heels of Barack Obama (No. 1) and Coca Cola (No. 2), and boasts 3.5 million fans. How's that for social media success and what are they doing right?
 
To be perfectly honest, nobody really knows.

People Are Talking
In 2008 Jennifer Laycock reported about Nutella's popularity at a blogging convention and not even a year later, Nutella was already No. 4 in the Facebooksphere. Today, Nutella's FB page is the talk of the town with the  Los Angeles Times, Brandweek and Creative Match. It's even become a case study in social media workshops (see slide 33 of this slideshow). So ... what's the fuss about?

Possible Reasons
Social media buzz experts credit Nutella's Facebook popularity to these characteristics:
1. It's European and people think Nutella is cool.
2. It reminds people of memories/trips to Europe.
3. It has such a unique taste. And oh yeah, it's too good to be true.
 
The Fans Take the Reins
The unbelievable part? The Nutella FB page was started by a fan. Not Nutella. Nutella only spent $300,000 on marketing (not even social marketing) in 2008 so clearly, they're just happy when sales go up. Some see this as a shocking example of a brand ignoring its online community.

Sounds like the only online marketing effort of Nutella USA has been an online sweepstakes (that I shamelessly entered) to win a case of Nutella. All you need to do is answer 5 basic questions about your Nutella consumer habits. The survey has been online for 2 years. What are they getting out of it? I, for one, hope to get a case of Nutella.
 
Yes a case, and I'll eat it. I'm a die-hard Nutella lover. When I buy Nutella, it's actually by the case. I have the official Nutella cookbook on my bookshelves. I use an empty 10-lb jar of Nutella to store my sugar. My 4-year-old will only eat Nutella on toast for breakfast. And if I needed an excuse to spread the word, the Nutella World Day is today. Now, I should probably become a fan of Nutella's FB page too and do my share to contribute to Nutella's fan-fueled online popularity.

Are you a fan? Tell us why.

Laure Latham Guyot

image credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/bitterjug

Famed Russian novelist Vladimir Nabokov once said, "There is no science without fancy and no art without fact."  This brilliant quote sums up the unique experience of developing predictive analytics models -- which involves equal parts art and science - and just a tiny bit of guess work.

Historical Data
Many brands have trouble getting to the first stage of building predictive analytics models.  But I repeat the old adage to them, "you don't know where you are going until you know where you have been." In order to predict future success in the marketing world, you need a window into the past combined with a large set of current behavioral data. And this window on the past, my friends, is realized through the availability of accurate historical data and the results of their marketing and media campaigns.

Acknowledge the Flaws
Unfortunately, many brands have difficulty gathering historical data and media metrics - largely because the multiple marketing agencies they work with don't take the time to organize the data appropriately or in a useful format. Therefore, many brands don't know how they've spent their marketing budgets over the years or how they have performed against granular objectives. Brand marketing teams need to make sure that they gather at least three years worth of their media metrics and performance data in order to build effective predictive models. And it will be important to break down the barriers that often exist between various agencies and the client to obtain a holistic data set from all parties. To be truthful, the data the team initially receives is not going to be perfect. It's completely okay to make assumptions or to take artistic liberties based on your current data when developing a predictive analytic system. Acknowledge the flaws in your data and work to improve data collection for the future. Don't let spotty data stop you from ever getting started.

Predicting Vs. Measuring
This seems to be a good time to emphasize how predictive analytics differs from measurement. Since both measurement models and predictive models rely on historic data, many people assume they are essentially the same thing. While they are definitely related, they are more siblings than clones. They may be composed of the same DNA, but their lives have different goals and different drives. It is important to understand these differences before setting up predictive analytics.

The first is that predictive analytics rely on timeliness. Measurement models, like media mix models for example, often present old data from marketing campaigns that were completed over a year ago. Predictive models should be launched before the campaign starts or one month into the annual campaign so marketers can take advantage of real-time digital behavioral data to interpret information and react before the campaign is over.

Second, predictive models should be straightforward. In measurement models complexity is key. When we examine the past we want to account for all of the nuances that occurred in order to have the cleanest read of what took place. We want to remove the impact of the bad press, the industry award, or any other event that may have influenced people's reception to the brand.  That way we get closer to the true impact of the marketing.  In predictive models we want to focus on things we can plan and forecast. It's important to realize that the assumptions you make in order to forecast could alter the accuracy of the predictive data. For instance, when you look at social media or anything that has the potential for a huge viral spike, you can learn a lot by looking backwards to see what contributed to success. But it is much more difficult to predict what will catch fire until it does. If you introduce variables into your model, like the tone of social media conversations, then you need to be able to forecast those variables. Overly complex forecasting models can result in the need to forecast scores of variables- even before you forecast the variable of interest.  

Preventing Inaccuracies
Consider, for instance, if you created a predictive sales forecast that assumed certain levels of myspace visits for your brand in 2009. Well, we now know that myspace visits decreased throughout 2009. In order for your model to provide reliable forecasts, you would have needed to have forecasted myspace's decline. While this wasn't an insurmountable task, it adds one more point of potential error in your forecast. In a measurement model that is not a problem, we know what happened. In predictive modeling we need to stop and ask ourselves, does the value of adding this additional term outweigh the potential for error?

The best way to prevent this type of inaccuracy is to look at the type of data used within the model. First, marketers would be well advised to not rely solely on survey data; instead, marketers should look to utilize digital behavioral data as that information is constantly available and provides an accurate representation of how customers are acting online without any assumptions or biases. These online behavioral data sets are very often a measure of the total demand that the marketing enterprise is generating. And this data greatly adds to the accuracy of predictive forecasting models. We will discuss some of the ways to incorporate this data in an upcoming post.

A Working Model
The last point I want you to consider today is that since change is the only constant, the predictive analytics models should be treated as living, breathing entities that need constant care and feeding. Without this care and attention they will simply be outpaced by the current marketplace and will lose their value. Since many brands are steeped in the measurement mindset, they don't want their numbers to change. If Q3 of 2009 brought in ten million in sales then that is THE number. The measurement doesn't change. However, if we predict that we will sell eleven million units in Q2 2011, but unemployment continues to rise in early 2010, contrary to our expectations, then the forecast changes. Eleven million is no longer the number, now 9 million is the number. In predictive modeling we no longer have THE number.  And that's ok. Actually it's better than ok, because our prediction is better than it was before.

Forecasts constantly change and will become more accurate as marketers refine their assumptions and become more comfortable with how predictive models work. Measurement without optimization is pointless so marketers will need to stay on their toes and ensure their data practices do not become stale. Forecasts for 2011 and 2012 will change based on data that is brought in throughout the year but that does not make them any less valuable.  It's good that your forecasts change. It means you are learning.  

Brands need to change their mindsets around shifting forecasts because marketing does not happen in a vacuum. Major economic changes could occur for any number of reasons including natural disasters, war and fluctuations in the trading markets. Just because numbers are not constant, does not make them any less accurate. Just remember this: you should continually optimize your brand's models, refine the assumptions used to forecast outcomes and trust in your data to boldly succeed in today's ever-changing marketing world.

Follow-Up Posts
Some people will tell you that predictive models are nothing more than a regression model. While that's true in one sense, it also true that War and Peace is just a book. Rather than brushing over the details of predictive modeling we will tackle issues including linearity, interaction, saturation points, media decay and observations in time which show how predictive models are more than 'just regression models'. I will show you [watch for upcoming posts from Steve on this topic] how predictive models can be an ever changing toolkit that adjust to your business and deliver the insights you care about most.   

You will also see that these various statistical treatments, while intimidating to the layperson, are quite manageable with the right team in place. Remember it takes a village to deliver on the promise of predictive modeling so don't get intimidated if things get 'quant geeky' for a while, it will all come back to the business insights in the end.

Steve Kerho

Editor's Note: This piece originally appeared on Fast Company's Expert Blog where Steve is a regular contributor.

I'm not much of a User Interface geek (that is, I enjoy a pointless but entertaining way of getting around a site as much as anyone), but as a web designer I'm always interested on how to convey maximum amounts of information/direction to users as simply and cleanly as possible.

So I thought this was a pretty cool blog post sent by colleague Craig Ritchie, about how icons become less effective as they become more "realistic." It's like as humans we have this sweet spot with symbols: too much detail, or too little, and they stop becoming useful to use as clues to their meaning. The challenge for us as visual communicators is finding that sweet spot.

Anyway, I liked that in itself. But then right below on the same blog was this demo (above) of a 3D style computer desktop. Unintentionally, it kind of proves the point of the article above it. Really, do I need a 3D representation of my desktop in order to use my computer better? It has some cool tools, I'll say that, but there's a point in the video where the guy has all these stacks of documents there, and I couldn't help thinking, "I don't need a computer to replicate the stacks of crap everywhere, that's what real life is for!"

Who knows, maybe it's the future and I'll have to adapt. After all, my father still puts up a spirited defense of the superiority of the Command Line Interface over these stupid "icons" all over his iMac screen.

Do you think 3D representations like this go too far?

Elliot Smith

image credit: ninja999

Last Thursday, Organic hosted a panel discussion on how to fit the User Experience practice into an Agile project cycle. For more information on what Agile is, see the Agile Manifesto or check out the Wikipedia entry.

So, Why is This an Interesting Topic for User Experience Professionals?
With a trend to quick iterations it's hard for us to figure out where our discipline fits in. As is the nature of agile, the UX design can change and it becomes difficult to maintain a consistent experience. Add to this an ill-defined agile process (many want to say they're "agile", but in reality they're not), a UXer might feel a loss of control. So, what's the solution?

Advice From the Panel
The biggest takeaway for our team of Experience Architects was not to compromise user testing. Test early and test often. It's a great way to learn if the designs are usable, especially if you have a hunch that there are issues. Don't have a huge budget for testing? No problem ... there are some "guerilla" testing methods that can get you the information you need (see below). Some testing is better than no testing.

Another great piece of advice: your analytics department is your best friend. Chances are, they've analyzed something similar and can provide valuable metrics to support your hypotheses. Seek them out and ask for their help.  

Other Takeaways:
•    If your budgets don't allow for extensive research then find guerilla methods for testing. Round up users in your company or take advantage of services such as fivesecondtest.com.

•    Agile should be ... well ... agile. While there is technically a right and a wrong way to do agile, the process in itself should be adaptable. If it's not working for you, then use the elements that do make sense ... resolve to have more face to face interactions and stand up meetings. Whatever works for your environment.

•    In the spirit of the adaptable process, consider getting a head start on the typical agile development cycle. When incorporating User Experience into Agile, begin with Iteration 0 where the User Experience people lay out some design patterns and architecture. Turn this over to development and stay a week or so ahead. For more information, see Lynn Miller's case study.

Anthony Viviano

The President of the United States responded to questions from the public in a live YouTube interview at the White House on Monday, February 1st, at 1:45 p.m EST.
 
When all was said and done, it brought in almost 800,000 votes on 14,464 questions from 64,968 questions. Not bad, but I would have expected much more from somebody running the country.

I suspect because it was so poorly advertised. I heard about it from colleague Craig Ritchie the morning of the broadcast. Russ Hopkinson mentioned he saw it on Google's home page "in the same way they are advertising the results now... in a one liner below the search bar."

Citizen Tube reports that people "submitted over 11,000 questions and cast over 667,000 votes after the President's State of the Union address last week." When I viewed the live stream around 2 p.m. it had only received a handful more than 47,000 votes.

Bridget McKinley agrees about the lack of publicity. "I didn't hear about it until people were tweeting about the answers. And I'm a political and media junkie. Not well publicized/marketed at all..."

I'm perturbed at the reason for this. What makes Jason Derulo's "Whatcha Say" video more popular (at 31,970,491 views) than getting your own question asked by the President?

Has President Obama outdone his digital presence?

Sarah Jo Sautter

(Illustration via Wired article)

Your client has something great to share, and they want to prove that they're listening to consumers. So you set up Twitter and Facebook accounts, and then hope for as many followers as possible. Right?

Well, according to Clive Thomson's Wired article "In Praise of Obscurity," maybe not. He writes:

"When you go from having a few hundred Twitter followers to ten thousand, something unexpected happens: Social networking starts to break down."

This is certainly true on a personal level. Your Twitter page, or your Facebook news feed gets cluttered and you get overwhelmed so you clean house, only leaving the folks you want to hear from the most. The thing is, when you're a marketer and everyone's following you, that's not really an option.

So, how does this translate to social media as a marketing tool? That depends on your goal for, say, your Twitter account. Some brands just want to prove their existence, or send a one-way message. Others are there for "customer service," only looking for and responding to problems. And, some are truly there to have a conversation.

If you just want to make your presence known, or push your message, congratulations on your 50,000 followers. If you're only responding to issues with your brand, you could hire a contractor to monitor your "@ replies" and you might do OK.

But if you're there to hold a true ongoing conversation, I'm not so sure. Does one of our key bragging points about social media - the size of your network - eventually lead to a lull? How do we manage this?

Tell us what you think. We'll try and listen.

Nate Rogers

Editor's Note: You can hear what Threeminds has to say on twitter @threeminds and read about the latest happenings at Organic, including recent Threeminds blog posts @OrganicInc.

With the Grammys this weekend in Los Angeles, we thought we'd take a look at the marketing effort. An immediate opinion blossomed around the "We Are All Fans" social aspect, which offers a dynamic assortment of aggregated content and connections to major social platforms. Here's the cross-office response: two very different opinions.

From: Kai Wright (NY)
Subject: The Grammys go social.

Calling all music lovers - checkout the new Grammys site. It's a seamless integration with social media, also. I think they did a nice job.

------------

From: Craig Ritchie (TOR)
Subject: RE: The Grammys go social.

It's really difficult to keep up with what's going on here. I'm not sure anyone would spend much time here. Yes, you can aggregate this stuff. but you have to answer, "Why?"

It reminds me as well of the CP/B site - and the Threeminds post Marta and I wrote last year.

------------
Where do you stand on things that appear 'social-for-social-sake'?

Organic Detroit is hosting a panel discussion on User Experience in an Agile Environment tonight on behalf of the Usability Professionals' Association.

What We'll Discuss
• Best practices on providing a consistent user experience across the entire product when the development is broken up into short iterations
• Best practices for performing typical user experience design tasks like user research, persona development, user testing, or UI design in an agile environment

When
Thursday, January 28, 6:00 PM - 8:30 PM

Where
Organic
2600 S. Telegraph
Suite 100
Bloomfield Hills, MI 48303
(Enter off Franklin Road)

Cost
$5 for Full-time Students (ID must be presented)
$10 for MIUPA and MOCHI members
$20 All others

RSVP
Seating is limited, so please RSVP at Upcoming.org to ensure entrance to this event. You can also send an RSVP to events@miupa.org

Schedule
6:00 PM Registration, networking, and pizza
6:45 PM Announcements
7:00 PM Program

Panelists
Helene Gidley
Owner of Agile PM consulting firm HSG Consulting LLC and founder of Agile Groupies, A2 based Agile User Group

Carissa Demetris
Owner, Circle D Design

Josie Scott
Senior User Researcher, TechSmith

Serena Rosenhan
User Experience Specialist, ProQuest

John Rivard
Information Architect, Assistant Vice President, Comerica Bank

Anthony Viviano
, Senior Experience Architect at Organic Detroit, is moderating. Come join the discussion!

image credit: newbirth

How Businesses and Marketers Can Use Mobile For Better Results

Advertising is not what it was ten years ago. The past decade has seen the advent of social computing and mobile technology, two forces that changed the game forever. What will the future hold? From point-of-sale to out-of-home, here are the top five ways we see the device formerly known as a phone changing the game this year and beyond.

1. Mobile will completely revolutionize the way local advertisers can connect with potential customers.
While online display advertising has been incredibly effective for many companies, it hasn't offered all that much value to small, independently owned businesses. For one, the web is good at scale, not so good at precision. It's difficult for mom-and-pops to reach the relatively small audiences that might reasonably be expected to patronize their stores.

A number of new location-based services are beginning to provide attractive alternatives for such small-scale advertisers. Foursquare, for one, allows small business to target offers based on a user's actual proximity to their location. These offers can deliver heightened relevance by appealing to a player's status, nearby friends, or demonstrated preferences. A similar service, Gowalla, has experimented with branded badges and actual prizes that users can win if they check in at a location. Google is also catering more to local businesses by making their Place pages more mobile-friendly. Advertisers can now create Place pages that are accessible through Google Maps, attach mobile coupons, and even include QR code stickers in their window that lead you to these pages.

These examples are really only scratching the surface of what's possible for local businesses through mobile. Expect to see more mom-and-pops jump on these platforms in 2010.

2. Growth in adoption of mobile shopping applications will continue to alter in-store consumer behavior, increasing the significance of mobile in point of sale decisions making.
There are a number of mobile applications and tools emerging that consumers can use to make their shopping trips more efficient, productive, and fun. First, there are mobile price comparison apps such as Shop Savvy, Red Laser, Amazon Mobile. These allow shoppers to compare prices at a given location against nearby competitors and online properties -- an incredibly powerful proposition. There are also crowdsourcing tools like Fashism and BazaarVoice's MobileVoice that help shoppers get outside opinions and feedback before purchasing. These types of apps are prime territory for marketers looking to inject a brand into a target audience's psyche at a critical juncture in their decision making process.
Then there are, of course, mobile coupons, which are finally getting some traction. Zavers, Yowza, mobiQpons and Cellfire are actively signing up small businesses, and it's only a matter of time before big box stores get on board. Add increased consumer adoption, POS redemption infrastructure and a social dynamic and the appeal to marketers will be greater than ever.

All of the above will provide inroads for more effective CRM, specifically, loyalty programs. Consumers checking their phone just before they buy something will create opportunity to deliver more effective personalized messaging derived from prior purchase decisions.

3. Brands and agencies will continue to build branded apps, but will also have more attractive display media options, thanks to Google.
In 2009, we saw a number of brands scramble to check mobile off their lists by creating apps. But now that the marketplace is crowded, many will take a step back and look at media-buying options instead. Google recognizes this; it's why they recently acquired AdMob, i.e., to get a corner on all that in-app content. Google will also build up their network of native app content by making development and deployment of ad-supported apps on their Android platform much easier than it currently is on the iPhone. This is all with the aim of more effectively extending it's AdSense platform to mobile.

Yes, you may say that consumers are obviously keen on micropayments for mobile content. They did, after all, spend $6.2 billion on apps this year, according to Gartner. But consumers are even more fond of free, and in 2010 one way Google will challenge the iPhone is by creating a competitive alternative business model for developers. And where good apps are, consumers go and dollars follow.

Most major carriers and handset manufacturers have multiple Android devices slated for 2010 launch dates, so expect Android's user-base to catch up to the iPhone's by the end of 2010. The web-based Android app store is a hurdle to the experience and doesn't come close to the experience of the iTunes' desktop app. If Google can fix this, then developers may start putting Android first on their product roadmaps.

4. Advertising's outdoor real estate is fast becoming another connected channel capable of delivering high-fidelity digital experiences as unique, varied and measurable as more well-established mediums.
Outdoor advertising has traditionally been very difficult to measure. People move past signs through various modes of conveyance at varying rates of speed making it difficult to know who actually notices a given media unit. Add line of sight and dwell time, and the problem is further compounded.

Digital out-of-home (DOOH) signage is changing all this, and mobile is becoming the key to true measurement and engagement. Using their handsets, once-passive viewers can actually interact with an ad now. For example, Toyota released an iPhone app that let users to draw on the Thompson-Reuters screen in Times Square. Nike's "Chalkbot" allowed cycling fans to have a robot stencil messages of support for Tour de France riders on the pavement via SMS or Twitter. Vans' "Be Here" allowed its users to submit video, photo, or text messages from any of the brand's online properties to be displayed on a digital billboard in Times Square.
In all of the previous examples, mobile served as the glue or connective tissue between outdoor and the web. Indeed, the real potential of DOOH is to blend the digital with the physical world in public spaces. It will also eventually allow advertisers to customize once-mass ads to specific individuals based on data that their phone can reveal about them.

5. Consumers have new power to express their opinions through social technologies from anywhere, anytime. Smart marketers will do all they can to encourage and act on this real-time feedback.
While the crowds may not always be wise, they sure are vocal, and mobile devices are their microphones. In unprecedented numbers, consumers are using mobile-enabled publishing platforms, mainly Twitter, to instantly share their thoughts about products, services and brands.

The best companies have started closing this loop by listening to and acting on consumer's feedback. Some are even creating dedicated apps and services to collect it. Taxihack is a service for commenting live on NYC taxi drivers. SeeClickFix and CitySourced both give users mobile applications for reporting things like potholes and graffiti while out on the town. AT&T recently used a similar tactic with an iPhone app, Mark the Spot, which crowdsources areas of weak reception.

Much of the power seen in these mobile applications is through context attached to consumer feedback. Universal Theatres relies on a SMS response system to test out trailers and gauge audience response during screenings. This in the moment feedback makes for a much more accurate representation of viewers true opinions.

Whether brands carve out a dedicated mobile channel or simply rely on Twitter customer service, we'll see more embracing the feedback loop. The challenge going forward will be an internal one, setting up efficient systems to make sure consumer feedback can be acted on and implemented once it's heard.

How will you use mobile this year?



Allison Mooney and Caleb Kramer from MobileBehavior
Dan Neumann, @dneumann

A version of this post originally appeared on Advertising Age's Digital Next Blog.

Reading Traci's post on the Kindle, a gadget that I have never even thought about buying, despite being an avid reader and a total tech geek, made me ponder: Why have I never considered the Kindle?

The real answer is much for in the vein of... well... vanity.

Shelf Envy
I have already switched to storing most of my music on my computer instead of on a shelf (with the exception of my small record collection). If I stop reading, and therefore collecting, actual books, I will have no way to quickly show my varied interests to my houseguests.
How will they know that I have read a wide array of both classic and contemporary fiction? That I am interested in vintage interior design and National Geographic books? That my book collection shows what an urbane, interesting and well-informed person I am? HOW? HOW WILL THEY KNOW THAT I AM WORTHY?

Likewise, it terrifies me that I won't be able to judgmentally peruse the book collections of others. I have a friend who is often at the same parties as me, and we inevitably end up standing together as we silently stare at the bookshelves of the party host, too socially awkward to be talking to other people. Please, don't force us to talk to people.

Spinal Tap
The closest solution that I've seen was a distinctively analog one: A friend of mine made color copies of the spines of all of the library books he read for several years, artfully arranged them on paper, and framed them. It was like the flat-screen version of the home library.

In terms of social networking, there have been some soft attempts addressing the desire to broadcast one's tastes in hope of favorable judgment. There are online book clubs, and there are apps that let you share what you're reading or your favorite books on Facebook. But I hate Facebook apps; they clutter the page and rarely look good.

But none of these can be displayed in my home. So it comes to this: The majority of my social networking, thank goodness, still takes place in the offline world. I need to hang on to something so I can update my real-life profile.

Jordan Miller

Top Five Things I Wish Of My Kindle

When I got my first iPod six years ago, it completely changed the way I purchased and listened to music. So, naturally, I had the same hopes for my recently acquired Kindle reader and how I would soon be consuming books. Unfortunately, the Kindle has fallen short of my expectations. Here's a list of the things I find myself wishing for:

1.  A back light. Seems absurd I have to use an attached itty, bitty book light to read from my "electronic wireless reading device". I probably spend half of my time reading in the dark - on the plane or before dozing off to sleep. Which means, half the time I use my Kindle, I have a book light appendage hanging off it. So much for sleek design.

2.  Color.  I hate the fact that many books I order on Kindle don't show the original hard-copy version of the cover art. And those that do, show it in shades of gray. I shouldn't judge a book by its cover, but - well, I do. I miss seeing the cover art of a book and its back cover or inside sleeve reviews. Couldn't Kindle follow iPod's lead? At least they display CD cover art.

3.  A touch screen.  After using an iPhone, it took me weeks to stop myself from touching the screen of my Kindle to order a book or select something new to read. Keying in words on the tiny, tiny keyboard and using the microscopic joy stick feel so 2006.

4.  The ability to do a crossword puzzle.  One of my favorite print-medium past times is doing The New Yorker crossword puzzles. Too bad there wasn't a way to do this on my Kindle. (If there is, please tell me how.) This is another place where that touch screen -- with interfacing keyboard -- would come in handy.

5.  The social part of reading.  Sure, reading probably seems like a solitary hobby. But, when I finish a good book, the first thing I want to do is tell my friends. It would be great if, upon reading the last sentence of a book, Kindle offered the option to write a review and the ability to post it to my Facebook wall. This seems like a lost opportunity for both Kindle and Amazon to create viral advocacy not only for the Kindle -- but the books people are buying on it. I did find a Kindle fan page on Facebook -- but it only had 14 fans! And, at this writing, there are no Kindle apps available on Facebook. However, just yesterday, Amazon announced a SDK (Software Development Kit) which will allow software developers to build and upload applications. Plans are to have an app store up and running by end of year. But could it be too little too late? Until Kindle introduces new social apps, I'll tell my friends about favorite books the old fashioned way: from my iPhone Facebook app.

On the eve of Apple's rumored announcement of their new tablet (iPad? Or islate? They haven't named it yet.) coupled with a possible Barnes & Noble partnership and access to 1 million books (in comparison to Kindle's 400k titles), Kindle's limitations have me worrying about major buyer's remorse. However, the rumored price-point of Apple's tablet at $7-1000 may make me feel a little better.

Are you a satisfied Kindle user? Or are you holding out for Apple's tablet or another e-reader technology?
 
Traci Armstrong
@tannarmstrong

A couple weeks ago a bunch of my female friends began posting colors -- and only a color -- in their Facebook status updates. "Nude and turquoise." "Black." "Pink." I didn't really think much of it until about the fifth unrelated friend did it. Was this supposed to describe some sort of emotion or mood they were in at the time? I had to know, but wasn't about to look like the clueless idiot by asking them.

So I Googled "why are people posting colors on facebook?" Here's what I found out. Women around the world are posting their bra color on Facebook in order to raise awareness for breast cancer. Nology noted that it took place over the course of January 8, 2010. Though women were still posting a week later.

No one really knows how it started. I've heard it started in Michigan. One news source states it could have been overseas. I asked my girlfriends how they heard about it and they told me fellow Facebookers. Organic colleague Leah Salt thought it stemmed from the UK because she saw it from her friends there first. "It's funny because all my British friends started posting their bra colours and it took a whole 24 hours before my Canadian & American friends caught on."

One thing is for sure, the Susan G. Komen for the Cure breast cancer foundation didn't start it, but it's surely caused a spike in their followers.

Last week my colleague Craig Ritchie started a thread talking about the success of the campaign. The Dallas News reported that the Susan G. Komen for the Cure breast cancer foundation had 134,000 fans on their Facebook page before this trend started. Today they have 164,481 fans.

Komen is happy that the viral message has prompted women to schedule mammograms. One woman posted "My revealing my bra color made me remember to schedule my Mammogram for this yr....Nude!"

Men have even joined. One male posted this on the Susan G. Komen's wall:
"fresh & white [MEN for breast cancer awareness]" and another "green [MEN for breast cancer awareness]."

The trend not only prompted individuals to speak out, it spurred community on all fronts. The creator of the Facebook group "breast cancer awareness ♥ I updated my Status with my Bra colour ♥" started on January 7, 2010 claims she didn't start the bra color campaign. Though she definitely helped to keep it going. The Group is now up to 93,652 fans.

The awareness "campaign" -- if you can really label it a campaign since there's no known root or long-term strategy behind it -- has both supporters and critics (though seemingly much fewer of the latter).

I think it's a pretty creative way to get people thinking, talking and acting on something that affects so many people. I wonder if because it began so obscurely that it really took off. I feel that when a brand ties itself too closely to convincing people to take action that fans are more often turned off. So if the Foundation actually did start it and just gave credit to the people, that's one heck of a smart strategy. And if they didn't, they definitely did the right thing by supporting it.

Sarah Jo Sautter

I can only assume that every new mom is as curious as I am about the ratio of waking to sleeping hours their little newborn gets... Or how about the amount their baby feeds versus the amount that passes into those 10-15 daily diapers!! That we all have a gut feeling something is amiss but no way to prove it.

Enter Total Baby, an iPhone app to help you keep running tabs on just about everything you'd ever want to related to your new child. From the month to month stuff like doctor appointments, vaccinations, and growth... to the day to day in extreme detail.

Almost every feature is accompanied by a running timer. So, for instance, I use it to time my newborn's feeding sessions, baths, tummy time and what short sleeps he does get. I am able to document which breast, how long (or let the timer run), when, which breastfeeding hold and any custom notes. It can also keep track of 'one time events' like diapers changed, burps, medicine given, etc.

The main screen makes it easy to see the last time you changed, bathed and fed your little one or when he last slept. This helps my husband know whether he can let me sleep if it doesn't happen to be feeding time. Daily totals on diapers and feedings help put perspective on the whole input/output question. That's peace of mind knowing my son is healthy and a big help in knowing how many diapers to buy.

I love how customizable everything is. I was able to easily add 'bouncer', 'mommy's arms', and 'daddy's arms' to sleeping locations. But mostly I love this app because it makes me feel a little more in control of my time and able to slowly (very slowly) move my son Simon towards a more regular eating and sleeping schedule.

Totally worth the $5 if it can get to a 4 hour stretch of sleep some time in the next week!!

What's your favorite "mom" app? I'd love to hear of any others that are helpful.

Marta Strickland