Consumers ‘quick fix’ for information

As stated in one of my other blog posts, the use of mobile phones has increased dramatically – as has advertisement spending for the platform. However, another interesting statistic has popped up which correlates with the increased use of Snapchat, Instagram and Vine. This is the fact that consumers are far more visually engaged and like to consume content faster than ever.

Vine is becoming more and more popular

What does this mean for marketers? In a nutshell, it illustrates the fact that consumers want content which is quick and easy to view on their mobile device. Things like Vines and quick YouTube advertisements are perfect examples of this. However the issue is, how do marketers relay information in such a short period of time?

Answer to that is relevancy. Advertisements need to become more relevant and “honed in” on specific target markets. There is no longer a “one size fits all” policy when it comes to marketing, as consumers are becoming far more picky and now also have the tools to filter information they deem irrelevant. The current trend is showing that short, relevant and personable ads are far more effective than some traditional forms of media.

Going back to my first point about mobile phones, the Australian Bureau of Statistics state that over 90% of adults have their phone within arms reach at any given time. This means on the train, waiting in line and even on the toilet, consumers are using their phones or have them near. The trend in short videos or infographics correlates with this, because time and attention is limited when waiting in line or on the train.

Using smartphones on the train

Ultimately, digital marketers need to start creating content that is easy to ‘digest’ for consumers. Content that can be opened and viewed in less than half a minute. Utilising platforms such as Instagram and Vine is a good start to take advantage of the trend of short and easy to consume content.

Have you guys come across any images or short videos which really struck a chord? Feel free to share them here.

Reddit’s AMA

On reddit.com, there is a ‘subreddit’ (a specialized forum, essentially) where people can (with proof) post that they are taking questions and will answer. Obviously, this has generated a lot of hype and has taken off as a platform for celebrities and the like to get involved and promote their new products whilst interacting with fans and other people on the site that they otherwise do not get a chance to interact with.

The reason this is popular is because it is so intimate. Similarly to social media, you are literally typing a question to a celebrity and they are answering your question personally (usually…). It allows the fan to get a glimpse into the mind of a celebrity and their personality. Ultimately, it’s an interview done by thousands of different people.

“Proof” of an AMA

However, there is a right way to go about this to build a good rapport with your audience. There have been some notable failures with AMA’s in the past.

AMA’s need to be genuine and sincere. The users of Reddit will be quick to judge and condemn those celebrities who are simply using the site as a way to market their product. An AMA done last year by Morgan Freeman was considered to be done poorly and taken negatively by the community. The answers were short, boring and seemed to relate back to his new movie that he was coming out. Moreover, the picture he posted for proof seemed to be photoshopped.

Morgan Freeman’s Proof

All in all, it was a PR disaster for him. He was made a mockery of on that site and the community.

But, there have been example of good AMA’s. These AMA’s engage the audience whilst at the same time building interest of the products they are trying to market. The key with the AMA is not to sell a product, but to sell a brand. A brand can be a person or anything – and what needs to happen is to build a strong rapport with the community and the brand. As soon as a product gets involved, the community feels used and disengaged – this is not what we want.

Have you gone on reddit and been part of an AMA, or read through a good one?

The International

The International is Valve Corporations DotA (Defence of the Ancients) tournament held every year. It’s an invite only event taking the best players of the video game from around the world to compete in a tournament for prize money.

Now, DotA is a video game. It’s too hard to explain the specifics in a single post but essentially it’s a 5v5 map with 2 teams and each player working together with their team to destroy the enemy teams ‘base’ or ‘ancient’. You use your different skills and compliment your teams and there are more than a hundred different ‘heroes’ to base your team around, each with unique spells, abilities and roles within the game.

This years prize money was close to $11 MILLION USD. First place gets half of that. To put it into perspective, the first place of the UEFA Champions League soccer (or football, depending which side of the fence you’re on) final is worth 10 million euro. The prize pool for a video game tournament is comparable to the prize pool of one of the most prestigious footballing event in the world.

How did Valve do this? How did they make their game that popular and generate enough money to host a massive tournament, and grow this video game into an actual sport?

The Compendium

They did this through The Compendium. An Add on to their FREE video game, DotA2. The compendium costs $10 and of that $10 part of it goes to the prize pool for the tournament. Essentially they are enabling the players of the game to pay for the tournament. This isn’t the first time Valve has done something like this. For instance, they commonly use fan made art models in their game and charge a fee for people to use them, reimbursing the artist of course. Using their community, they are able to do things and spend less money which was not doable previously.

Obviously, the DotA community has had years to grow, from a map add on more than 10 years on to the multi-million dollar industry we see today. But I feel as if these practices, getting the community involved and helping to fund what they want can be translated into other industries – which also shows the success of Kickstarter and Indigogo

What are your thoughts? Can crowdfunding like in DotA2 be translated to other industries?

Steam

Steam. A platform that has evolved from a tool to launch a single company’s game to a massive platform used by countless developers to buy and play games from. It’s essentially your iTunes for video games. Steam is run by Valve Corporation, who have made some decent games in their own right. However, Steam never used to be used much let alone liked and now even preferred by most people. They did quite a few things correctly from a marketing perspective in order to get where they are today.

Steam Logo

Steam started out as a way for Valve to easily streamline and patch their games, primarily Counter-Strike 1.6, however has quickly transformed into what we know (and love) today. It’s evolved into more than that, and is now a social media platform, as well as a digital distribution, digital rights management and multiplayer platform.

The Steam Store is one of the biggest online stores for video games in the world, and that is in part due to their seasonally ‘Steam Sales’ that they host. During the Steam Sale, games go on sale for up to 60% off. These include popular AAA titles (games made with a massive budget and are usually pretty expensive, upwards of $60) to games developed by independent developers. These massive sales attract people to spend almost pocket change buying a game and getting involved with using their system. This not only draws in potential consumers, but also gets existing consumers to purchase a game they may not have intended to purchase due to how cheap it is compared to it’s original price.

Latest Steam Sale Announcement

Steam also led the way in developing social communities on its program. People can chat and add friends to play with on their games. Moreover, these friends can then recommend games to their peers on their friends list, write reviews and most importantly view what game their friends are playing. Furthermore, the chat interface allows you to chat with your friends while playing. More often than not I get asked questions about niche games I’m playing, and my friends get interested in giving Crusader Kings 2 a red hot crack.

Finally, Steam personalizes your store based on previous purchases. This relatively new initiative is called the ‘Steam Queue’ and essentially takes what you spend the most time playing and shows you games your peers have rated highly. This allows you to easily find games you may find interesting which makes it easier to shop using the Steam Interface.

Steam Queue

Have you guys ever used any platforms/websites for shopping which made it easy? What are your thoughts on these sort of platforms?

Our Story

Snapchat, a tool used primarily as a way for friends to communicate with each other via the use of pictures has begun to sell itself to companies in the shape of the “Our Story” feature. In a nutshell, the Our Story feature lets snappers who are attending an event post pictures of the event based on their geographical location and proximity to the event. In other words, if you’re at the event, and using snapchat, you can post about the event you’re currently attending to every single person in the world who has snapchat.

Essentially, this is marketing the event. Events such as concerts can pay to be included in the “Our Story” segment and the snapchatters will be the ones providing all the content. For example, at an electronic dance music festival, the Our Story featured snaps and videos of festival-goers having fun, enjoying themselves and projecting a positive vibe. Since it is broadcasting worldwide to Snapchats 30+ million users, it sends a shows the event or festival to people who have probably never heard of it. These changes to snapchat show exactly how the platform is progressing, and how consumers do react positively to content which is “fan-made”.

Snapchat “Our Story”

Our Story was initially used for events such as the world cup and music festivals. However, recently as of last week Apple had a live story covering the release of their iPhone 6. This allowed people who couldn’t see the keynote or the announcement to watch the highlights of the event quickly and easily without missing much. It raised awareness of apple’s iPhone 6 and the Apple Watch release dates, to people who are not only the target market (as they own smartphones – a requirement for snapchat) but also people who may not have been aware of anything being released – I for instance had no idea apple was planning an “apple watch”, but viewing the story piqued my interest and I researched it a bit more.

The “Our Story” update shows how with digital technology, it is becoming easier and easier to interact with consumers in a non-invasive way which I believe to be important in this digital age. Moreover, it showcases how content created by fans can be just as effective if not more effective then content which is created by professional teams. Finally, the success of Our Story outlines the power of “word of mouth”, and how it’s becoming easier and easier to let more than 30 million people at a time know exactly how much fun you’re having at an event.

What do you think of “Our Story”? Bit of fun and a welcome addition to Snapchat? Or yet another thing you ignore on social media?

Internet Celebrities

Snapchat has exploded.  A platform seemingly impossible to advertise on is becoming more and more saturated with celebrities or people with a lot of followers to endorse products. The days of going on the app to see what your friends are up to are dwindling, and it’s becoming more with seeing what Sedgy Fergo is up to tonight and whether or not she’s going to her FAVOURITE club, Blue Velvet in Newcastle.

The app is slowly turning into marketers utilising people with a decent following to endorse products or places, much like what’s happening with popular instagram accounts. As a result, these new celebrities are being born under the guise of still being “untainted” by the corporations. Dan Bilzerian and Jen Selter are the most popular instagram celebrities who post the products they used or recently purchased to their mass of followers. It is unknown whether or not organisations such as Nike are behind the accounts and pay them, but one things for sure – they reach millions of people daily.

A Dan Bilzerian post, showcasing his products

This is what marketing is turning into digitally. The consumer is becoming fed up with advertising and advertisements and will find ways to block them, hence the popularity of AdBlocker. Companies are looking for other ways to engage their audience and are using an age old tactic of endorsement. It happened to sports such as soccer in the 70’s and 80’s and now it’s happening to people who have a large following on social media. People are getting paid to simply make give aways on their youtube channels, flaunt their new watch they were given on instagram or let people know where they’ll be a certain night to build hype for the venue.

A Popular YouTuber’s giveaway

Essentially, it’s traditional marketing with a digital twist. My question is: how does this affect your browsing of youtube or instagram? Do you really care about advertising if it’s non invasive in the form of giveaways or photos on instagram accounts?