Storytelling in the Age of Digital, Mobile and Social

The best stories are the ones that have not yet been told.  And, regardless of how, a great story is always shared.

During Advertising Week’s “Storytelling in the Age of Digital, Mobile & Social,” Buzzfeed uncovers insights into great storytelling that will further compel people to share our content. Below outlines key insights from the keynote.

Think of Advertising Beyond an Ad Message

·         Consumers receive more and more ads and messages each day – consider ways to break through that feel like a part of the customer’s daily activities through telling a story versus sending a message

·         Storytelling is now two-way:  we are just shouting if we aren’t having a conversation

 

Stories are Not Technology Dependent

·         Evaluate the story we as a brand want to tell

·         Then think about the audience of the story – where are they? What is their behavior? How do they share

Stories are Not Platform Dependent

·         Different platforms should continue the same story

·         Each technology and platform serves its own purpose serving a different chapter in the same story

o   Banner ads focus on the quick click and engagement

o   TV can focus more on emotion and visuals

o   Social can be more targeted and personal

3 Principles of Great Brand Stories:

1.       Inspired by Insights

a.       Know the “why” of the brand (see this TedX video for the “Why”) and the audience

b.      Balance the intersection of brand needs and consumer wants

c.       Be authentic and transparent to truly bring out the human insight and brand truth

2.       Social at the Core/Social by Design

a.       Stories are not about You, not about us, and not about the brand.  Stories are about the audience

b.      Maintain an “always on” storytelling strategy (not just on social.. but balancing all mediums) as shareable and shapeable experiences

c.       Surprise and delight

3.       Fearless (they are not reckless)

a.       Keep the story at the heart

b.      Amplify and surround the story

c.       Own it, champion it and stand behind it (knowing it may fail)

                                                               i.      Take risks – the best stories are the ones that haven’t been told

For additional reference,  “Why Agencies and Brands Need to Embrace True Storytelling” . 

How to Make Multi-Screen Campaigns More Interesting

Today, 71% of consumers view content on more than two screens daily.  As this number and trend begins to grow, we must consider how multi-screen campaigns can be more engaging and integrated. 

During Ad Week, Microsoft and MediaVest presented case studies demonstrating successful multi-screen campaigns in a “How to Make Multi-Screen Campaigns More Interesting” keynote.   Below outlines the 3 areas consistent in each case study:

·         Content Strategy

o   From a brand and business perspective, define the story we want to tell

o   The content cannot be static: it must adapt based on engagement wear out and composting evolution

o   All content is not created equal:  we cannot simply take creative from one channel and apply it to the next

§  Each platform has a specific purpose and expectation from the consumer

·         Consumer Journey

o   The customer context must shape the message from the above content

§  Where are your customers?

§  What do they need?

§  What is their mind frame while on multiple platforms?

o   Physically map out the customer experience to identify which screens and platforms belong in your plan

§  If your target is not active on a specific platform there is no need to be there

§  Map out when the target is on these platforms for a dayparting strategy

·         Possibly different channels at different times

·         Or “multi-tasking”/co-viewing while being on multiple screens at a time

·         Culture (of the teams involved)

o   Define the team involved with the campaign process

§  Agree on key decision makers and assign each team a task (data should always be a part of this discussion)

·         Includes agency partners and internal

o   Align on overall marketing goals

§  Define the perception change/business goals

§  Then define the KPIs

·         Do not confuse KPIs and overall goals

§  Ensure data collection and reporting is identified in the upfront

o   Invest in supporting this lasting cultural change and shift to multi-screen marketing

§  Sometimes TV will be the most important screen, but today it can also be others 

Pinterest Launches Promoted Pins

Since Pinterest launched analytics and business pages over the last few months, we’ve been waiting for a more detailed advertising product announcement.  Today, Pinterest made that announcement.

Promoted Pins, the new Pinterest advertising product, will start slow on the platform.  Some initial details on the ads are below:

• No banners or “flashy” ads
• It will be clear which pins are promoted vs. organic
• Pins will be contextually relevant by specific user behavior
• The Promoted Pines should be similar to the items the user currently pins
• Paid ads will only appear in search results and category feeds (for now)

Looking forward to learning more about these ads and how to get our brands on the platform!

For the formal announcement and a bit more information see below:

Pinterest Blog

Mashable Article

Vine & TV: A new Love Affair

Vine, initially meant as a mobile/social platform, is now seeing mass awareness by becoming a part of national TV campaigns.

Specifically, Trident Gum aired the first 6-second spot made from a single Vine video: and Dunkin Donuts (scheduled to air this week during a football game), creatively found a way to be more engaging with a billboard ad unit by using a Vine instead.

With these new creative executions, Trident and Dunkin Donuts are leveraging Vine and TV to:

·         Test Content:

a.       Trident used Vine as a content testing platforms by selecting one of four Vines (created  with “Vine Celebrities”) to appear on TV

                                                               i.      The Vine with the highest engagement was aired

·         Increase Consumer Reach:

a.       Dunkin Donuts plans to integrate other social media platforms during the air of their Vine to increase engagements and awareness

b.      They also plan to integrate other social media platforms during the air of their Vine to increase engagements and awareness

I'm a Gator, But Jell-O, You're the Loser

Post by JELL-O.

Oh Jell-O.  We're all trying to master the art of real-time marketing (see anything Oreo has done).  But you, my friends, have failed.

As a Gator, and someone who wept away much of my weekend after a Miami Hurricane loss, I do not want to be mocked on a Monday.  And you did that.

Please pay attention to the games if you're trying to be a part of the conversation.

Sincerely,

A Gator Fan and disappointed digital marketer

Taking a Bite of the Big Apple (Updated)

Finally, Apple announces new updates and products!  And let me tell you, I love gold (Hey, Goldmember).

Photo Cred: http://techcrunch.com/2013/09/10/live-blog-from-apples-iphone-5s-announcement/

Updates include:

• New iOS7 that launches on 9/18 for free, for all
• But we all pretty much knew about that
• iWork is now FREE for iOS devices (I can't wait to update my iPad)
• New iPhone5C
• $99 for 16gg, $199 for 32gb (with new contract)
• Made of plastic
• 8mp camera with Instagram-like filters
• Comes with iOs7
• Plenty of color choices, reminds me of some old-school Macs
• New iPhone5S
• Super advanced and comes in GOLD
• A-7 64-bit chip compared to the previous 32
•  A-7 is up to 2x as fast as the previous generation of CPUs, and handles graphics up to 2X faster
• M-7 motion processor works with the A-7 chip
• It continuously measures motion data, accelerometer, and gestural data.
• Core-Motion API seems to be a partnership with Nike to measure your movements
• Longer battery life (yea right)
• Better camera
• Auto-stabilization for those shaky-handed photographers like me
• Burst-mode that will take up to 10 frames per second
• Slo-Mo cam (yessss)

Updates on iPhone5S:

• Get extra security on your phone with TouchID (it reads your fingerprint)
• You can order this on 9/20 (and pre-order 5C on 9/13)
• $199 for 16gb, $299 for 32gb and $399 for 64gb

And.. Elvis Costello performed at the end of the announcements.. awesome. 

Excited to get my hands on one to test out the functionality that wasn't talked about today!

Social Users are Mobile First: We Should Be, Too

Consumers and customers alike no longer see Twitter and Facebook as desktop websites.  They consider these social networks mobile apps.  Because of this user behavior and mind-set, we see Twitter and Facebook leveraging the mobile first strategy.  For reference:

• Over 70% of all Facebook & Twitter activity occurred on mobile
• More than 219M users were mobile only on Facebook
• It is predicted that $4billion will be spent on Facebook advertising with 50% of the spend to occur in streams
•  This means, brands are not only competing with our fans’ friends, but with many other advertisers as well

The content developed and amplified becomes even more important: 

• It must break through the clutter
• Be relatable
• Leverage a “mobile first” philosophy
• Should be succinct, engaging and visual – on both Twitter and Facebook.

Although this isn't "new news" the data is still staggering and changing as we move into Fall 2013.

For more information see the Social Media Today article below:
http://socialmediatoday.com/markozm/1718946/changing-way-you-think-reaching-consumers-social-streams