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There was a time when independent movies and music occupied a niche, it was the world that wasn't part of the mainstream and it was where you went to look to find the cool stuff. Sometime around the mid-90s all that changed and independent became mass.

The same thing is happening in the world of non-traditional media channels, the stuff that folks used to consider the peasantry to the royalty that was television, has grown to become big media in it's own right.

What I find especially interesting is that given how fast these channels have grown, they are still regarded by many in the marketing world as niche. The longer they think that way, the more opportunity there will be for the smart ones to leap ahead.

Just consider some of these numbers for a second...

Facebook now has 500 million members..

There are over 3 billion mobile phones in the world- and anyone who doesn't believe Google won't play a part in this new world had better think again, Android shipments for Q1 2010 grew by a staggering 851% in the US.

Twitter has just recorded its 20 billionth Tweet, that's 2 months after it reached 15 billion and five months after it reached 10 billion.

These numbers are huge and should send shivers down the spines of anyone who is trying to capture the attention of consumers by conventional means and it's now starting to show.

Data from the latest Nielsen survey shows that time spent on social media increased by over 40% in the past year.

It's time to stop considering social and mobile as niche additions to media plans if budgets allow and to move them up to the front and center of your thinking.
 


Posted by Ed Cotton I just spotted this Tweet from NPR.
   

"What it feels like to be bitten by an army ant.....(by our guest tomorrow Mark Moffett aka @doctorbugs."

For anyone tuning into the stream of posts from NPR, this is just one Tweet of hundreds that get sent out a week and it seems all well and good that NPR is keeping its listeners informed about programming.

However, isn't this a problem of the Twitter broadcast model, what if i don't tune into Twitter on a regular basis?

What if you see the "ant" Tweet and think "surely NPR has more important things to talk about than ants, given these challenging and demanding times"?

When companies buy into the idea of real-time communication, it's easy to get sucked into the belief that everything needs to be Tweeted, because you believe people are just there waiting to hear what you are up to and the more stuff you Tweet about, the more dynamic it will make you seem. Maybe that's because maybe the people creating the Tweets believe quantity matters more than quality.

It could be worth taking a step back and thinking about a couple of things:

1. If a Tweet is going out, imagine this is the one message that someone sees all day from your company, would it be one you want them to see?

2. Does the message reflect well on the brand- can it be taken in isolation and represent a core part of who you are as a brand?

3. Does the message really need to do to everyone?

Perhaps this is the evolution of Twitter, where there's more flexibility to target Tweets to specific users and interest groups, where messages can be fine tuned to be highly personal and relevant to user needs.

Maybe we just aren't there yet.


Posted by Ed Cotton BBH has a new campaign out in the UK for Barclaycard touting ease and convenience of payment, but what struck me most was the URL they use at the end of the spot, where instead of the corporate dot com address, there's a Facebook url.



This is a clear sign of the move away from corporate web destinations in favor of the locations where consumers are spending most of their time. This is a big shift and one that must be quite a challenge for companies to get their heads around, but it reflects the new reality.

This is just the start because it forces the agencies hand to work out how best to Facebook and looking at the Barclaycard example there are certainly some challenges.

Interestingly, the experience seems just like a corporate web site and not the organic, fluid experience you expect on Facebook.

While it's smart understand where your customers are, getting the experience right is critical .


Posted by Ed Cotton According to Campaign, VW is looking for a social media agency in the UK.

This will add another partner to the company's already expansive communications roster, add incremental fees and mean there's more to manage and co-ordinate. In a an environment where budgets and resources are being challenged, it seems counter-intuitive.

However, the media has done a good job, Influx Insights included, in hyping the social media space to such a point that client's probably believe the need a specialist to help them in this complex and challenging environment.

On the surface, at a moment in time when the CMO and his or her bosses seem fixated on the thrills of Facebook and Twitter, holding a review and hiring a specialist seems like a problem solved.

In reality, it might be more trouble that it's worth. If you take a step back and look at how social media breaks down and what's needed, it's pretty basic.

1. Someone has to listen and respond- probably best for the in-house customer service team to work on this.

2. Posting relevant content to get conversation-likely to be split between PR and advertising who both play a role in getting content out to the crowd. Good companies in these fields are already up-to-speed and know the world of social media.

Social media is another channel that must be a part of the communication mix, but fragmenting responsibility, while it seems like a sound plan, might make a marketers life a lot more complicated.

It would be great to get people's thoughts on this topic.


Posted by Ed Cotton Steve Rubel suggests that we might be approaching the end of the media website as news and media organizations simply plug straight into the social media universe, rather than having dedicated sites.

"Conceivably the next great media company will be all spokes and no hub. It will exist as a constellation of connected apps and widgets that live inside other sites and offer a full experience plus access to your social graph and robust community features. Each of these may interconnect too so that a media company's community on Facebook can talk to the same on Twitter.

Facebook might be the first venue where this starts. It could become a mini news reader for millions who don't care about RSS or Twitter. Over time this may obviate the need to create large news sites. It's easier to create a rich interactive experience there than start a new news site and hope that people come to you. They won't have time to find or visit."

The implications of Steve's suggestions are significant.

If media companies don't have websites, what's the point of any brand having one?

Is the future all about applications and ideas that lock brands into social media?

If so, this will have huge implications for digital agencies who will no longer be needed to build web experiences and sites. 

The bottom line is if you are an agency and you aren't playing in social media now and adding value to your client brand's experience, you are going to be in trouble.

Posted by Ed Cotton Social media is what many brands want a part of, but very few have made it.

On the surface, it seems simple, but dig a little deeper and you come across a myriad of complex political and structural issues that are standing in the way of success.

It seems there's probably a role for consulting companies to step into the vacuum and help companies navigate their way through this complexity. It appears Charline Li, formerly a superstar analyst at Forrester felt this way, because she now has her own consulting group- Altimeter.

Glancing through Alitimeter's Slideshare credentials deck, it appears they have a vibrant business model. There are very few consultants or agencies digital and otherwise who can help clients answer every single one of these questions the credentials deck suggests they answer.

Strategy

How do emerging technologies impact my strategy?
How can I align technology with my business goals?

Leadership

How do I lead my company in this new landscape?
How do I transform this organization with these technologies?

Tactics

What channels should I use to reach my audience?
How do I integrate technologies into existing systems?
When should I use which technologies?

Technology

How do I decide which technologies/service providers to use?
What's the future of emerging technologies?

How long before Altimeter gets an on offer from IPG, Publicis, WPP and the rest?



Posted by Ed Cotton