Five Social Media & PR Measurement Trends to Watch

As we wrap up the first 3 months and jump into Spring, so far the year has offered some uncertainty, on so many levels. Here are few concepts that have been floating around on the topic of measurement in the Social Media and PR fields.

It seems the single most interesting thing is the tension between clients who want more for less and demand accountability as they tighten budgets.

1. Social Media Dominates Measurement Conversation

Social media measurement is dominating the conversation. It is interesting to note the social media measurement online conversation is not being driven (with a couple of notable exceptions) by the firms and individuals associated with traditional media content analysis. They seem to be followers and not leaders. New players and voices are emerging, particularly from the web analytics world.

2. Quest for Standards

For many in public relations measurement the Holy Grail is a single, powerful metric of success. A standard metric everyone generally agrees with and that is applied consistently would enable lower costs leading to greater measurement participation, and allow agencies and companies to compete on actual results, i.e. audience effects, not on cutesy proprietary metrics and algorithms. Or so the argument goes. In the other camp are the 'snowflake measurement' disciples who say each public relations program and set of objectives is unique and therefore requires unique measurement approaches – standardization doesn't apply to snowflakes. Driven by a desire to find 'standard' social media metrics, look for the standardization argument to be a hot topic again in '09.

3. Engagement Will Be The Hot Social Media Metric

Many have said Web 2.0 is about 'engagement and not eyeballs'. Indeed, it looks like Engagement will be the metric of the moment in 2009 and demanded in the future. While everyone might agree, at a macro level, Engagement is about the engagement between individuals and brands, there is almost no agreement on what Engagement really means, particularly in the online world. There are many different views at different levels of abstraction:

• BusinessWeek has a Reader Engagement Index they calculate as a comments to posts ratio. An Engagement Index of 5 would indicate 5 comments per post
  
• Forrester Research defines the engagement between individuals and brands in terms of the four I's: Involvement, Interaction, Intimacy, Influence
  
• And well-known web analytics guru Eric T. Peterson has developed an eight-term equation for Engagement that includes clicks, recency, duration, brand, feedback, interaction, loyalty and subscriptions.
  

Look for many other definitions and points of view on Engagement to come forward at each and every conference or workshop. The idea of measuring "Community and Velocity" may also be hot social media metrics.

4. Cross-Platform/Domain Measurement Challenges

How do you measure the influence on someone who has read your blog, posted a comment, sent a tweet to 100+ followers, visited another site, referred to your blog with a trackback, texted four friends about your post, two of whom visited your blog as well? Most measurement approaches and tools today are tied to specific platforms and not people. As communication increasingly becomes horizontal/ peer-to-peer - online and offline - our ability to measure discrete programs becomes exponentially more difficult. It would seem a greater emphasis on holistic approaches that are audience-centric might be a partial solution. Look for measurement firms to begin to address this challenge in 2009.

5. A Battle of Good (accountability) versus Evil (economy)

So far, the spirit of experimentation in social media has provided a sort of 'get out of jail free' card with respect to having to demonstrate the value of digital and social media programs and initiatives.

It looks like all that could change in 2009 primarily driven by the economic climate.

• 2009 will be the year when the pendulum swings from experimentation to accountability.
  
• 2009 will raise the bar on all of to demonstrate how social media and other PR programs are helping to drive desired business outcomes.
  

'Smoking Smarties or Smoking Rockets for us Canucks'

"Smoking Smarties' or Rockets" Videos Create Blaze of Unwelcome PR from the YouTube Sensation

What happens when people use your brand in unconventional ways?

Sometimes you end up with the Diet Coke and Mentos experiments.

Sometimes you get "How to Smoke Smarties or Rockets as we know them here in Canada."

In the latest example of a social-media world where any 10-year-old with a half-baked idea, your product and a cheap webcam can seek his or her 15 minutes of online fame, dozens of YouTubers -- mostly junior-high-school kids, it seems -- are posting videos of themselves and their friends crushing up the cellophane-wrapped, pressed-sugar candies, sucking the candy dust out and puffing it into the air in mock-smoking style.

It's not a new fad.

Most of the videos go back at least two years. The big hit so far -- this week's runaway "How to Smoke Smarties" video filmed by YouTube youngster "baller4life," aka Titus -- was created in December 2007.

But suddenly the fad is getting attention. The video now appears near the top of the Google results page in a more general search for just "Smarties."

Why it's getting buzz now?

Why now? It seems to be a simple case of exposure. Last week the video was featured on BuzzFeed and then on Monday appeared on CollegeHumor; the popular video-gamer destination G4tv.com's "Attack of the Show"; and the "Late Night With Jimmy Fallon" blog. And so began the rise of Titus' 1 minute, 38 second Smarties-smoking tutorial.

"It's not that unusual for a video to take a while to catch on," said Kevin Joy, BrandIntel VP-marketing and client services. "A video can lie dormant for a while, and then it gets some exposure, media pick it up, and it goes off -- at least until the next 'Smoking Smarties' video comes along."

Kids have been hip to the phenomenon for quite some time, apparently. Along with the dozens of how-to videos on YouTube, there are many MySpace mentions, a Facebook support group for "all you who are addicted to smoking Smarties," and countless bulletin boards and chat rooms full of smoking-Smarties confessions. There is definitely a backlash as well, including comments rife with warnings and criticism about the stupidity of it. ("WTF?" is a very common comment.)

New experience for Ce De

It's a new and unwelcome experience for Ce De, a 60-year-old Canadian family-owned company that has never had a recall, much less a whiff of scandal.

Then there's the question of how, or even whether, to respond to just social-media wildings.

Isn't all PR good PR?

In the case of Mentos and Diet Coke, which turned out to be wildly popular and brand-enhancing (family fun, entertaining, cool science project) for both brands, Coca-Cola hung back, initially offering only hats, T-shirts and goodwill to experiment creators Fritz Grobe and Stephen Voltz of Eepybird. However, in the case of Smarties, whose brand is being connected to the unhealthy act of smoking -- and smoking by kids no less -- the company is distancing itself and denying a connection.

The sales effect

Any effect on Smarties sales is difficult to discern. Industry watchers don't believe smoking Smarties is a widespread trend for several reasons. "I don't have any specific information on any impact it may have had, but I have a sneaking suspicion that it isn't going to gain the same popularity as the Mentos thing, which was featured on many national news shows. ... In this case, I think those same programs would feel the same way I do, in terms of appropriateness for youngsters," said Caitlin Kendall, editor of Candy Addict, in an e-mail, prefacing her comment by saying it's not something she would write about on the site.

Besides, Mr. Ostrow pointed out, "Citric acid is a food flavoring we use in Smarties, and if any kid accidentally got citric acid in their nose, they'd never do it again."

Still, that won't stop some kids from doing it. "It seems to me a perfect example of the disruption that technology is causing in schools and in society," said Kevin Hogan, editorial director of Tech and Learning. "But you have to ask: Should you give the kid detention, or should you give him an A?" He added, "I'd give him an A."

What to do if people are messing with your brand online (Source: AdAge)

1. Don't fight it. Trying to cajole, warn, threaten or even sue someone who is misusing your product or making a joke will only come off as heavy-handed. "Maybe some Neanderthal thinks that they can control this, but the reality is no one can," said Pete Blackshaw, exec VP of Nielsen Online Digital Strategic Services. And antagonistic attitudes will only invite more criticism and mocking.
   

   
   

2. Survey the extent of the problem. Is it a small group of jokers no one will take seriously or a more reputable group? How damaging is what they're saying or doing? That is, are they completing maligning the product and associating it with extremely unsavory behavior? Or is it just goofing around?
   

   
   

3. Turn to your social-media crisis plan. And if you don't have one yet, develop one.
   

   
   

4. Be open with employees. They use social media too and likely already know about it. But make sure to discuss what's happening and give them the information you want conveyed (for instance, what to say if a friend asks at a party, "Hey, what's up with all these kids smoking Smarties?").
   

   
   

5. Respond accordingly. At the very least, have a prepared statement for any media calls. Make sure it is available to all senior executives who may be queried. And make sure to respond as quickly and as transparently as possible to any direct questions from your customers.
   

Marketers Say Hello to Long-Awaited Mobile Technology

2-D Barcodes to Feed Consumers Content Such as Coupons

When a casual Mexican restaurant chain, was launching its third outlet in the college town of Ann Arbor, Michigan, they wanted a way to draw students to the new location -- and they wanted to speak their technological parlance. They bought ads in the campus newspaper and posted promotional posters, each with a code the tech-savvy students could scan with their phones to get a mobile coupon for a buy-one-get-one-free burrito.

The e-campaign netted a 52% redemption rate with about 4,000 scans, roughly 1% of the total target student population.

These codes are today's digital version of clipping coupons. But these codes -- known as 2-D barcodes, since they're scanned both horizontally and vertically -- can also deliver product reviews, video demos or any other tool a marketer has in its digital arsenal.

Media Measurement

They can also help marketers track static ads and product performance in retail channels: Did the print ad get more scans in the men's lifestyle glossy or the outdoor-enthusiast magazine?

Who is buying in?

There is small but growing group of marketers warming to the long-promised technology. In fact, among three vendors working to make this a reality -- Scanbuy, Jagtag and Clic2C -- there are at least 15 initiatives involving national brands in the retail, fashion, food and beverage categories that should hit next quarter.

Nike 6.0, the action-sports division of the footwear maker, recently deployed 2-D barcodes at several sporting events it sponsored late last year, delivering content about Nike athletes to fans who sent in images of Jagtag codes

Microsoft will be slapping 2-D barcodes on the next round of packaging for its Xbox games, said Larry Harris, CEO of Ansible, which worked with Microsoft on a 2-D-barcode campaign to promote an enterprise server.

Jagtag is trying to solve that problem by making it easier for consumers. Rather than downloading an application, they take a picture of Jagtag's 2-D barcode and send it to a short code, and Jagtag sends back a URL, coupon or other media via multimedia messaging service.

But analysts and Jagtag competitors agree that for 2-D barcodes to gain any meaningful traction, the code reader must come preloaded on cellphones -- and only the wireless carriers can make happen, as they dictate the specs to handset makers.

The wireless carriers are slowly coming onboard as they look to transactions and commerce to help drive revenue. Scanbuy has been chasing AT&T and Verizon for at least 18 months; late last year, it got Sprint to approve its application, so users can download it on 40 handsets sold by the carrier. The No. 3 U.S. carrier began promoting Scanbuy's application on its website late last year.

Jagtag's service works with AT&T and Verizon. "Carriers need to figure out how to make money on navigation, transaction and advertising," Mr. Bulkeley said. "On mobile, consumers are going to go directly to what they're interested
in, not go search for it."

In Japan, They're Called QR Codes

"Quick-Response" codes are well-entrenched in Japan, where consumers routinely use their cellphones to check e-mail, download movie trailers, navigate Tokyo's labyrinthine streets, pay water bills, buy Cokes from high-tech vending machines, download e-coupons and even have their fortunes told.

Oh the future looks very bright. What will become of scissors, will we ever hear, "stop running with your cellphone".

Just Before You Die: Life Flashes Before Your Eyes

From Heineken the story of one green bottle is the newest commercial by the ad agency McCann Erickson.

The spot features the journey of one green Heineken beer bottle from the time it was filled in the brewery to the journey it endures before that one green bottle finally arrives at the party. Nice spot, I really enjoyed the music great work.

Martin Krejci gets nostalgic as a Heineken bottle's life flashes before its eyes in this new one from Stink and McCann's in Dublin.

Credits / Agency: McCann Erickson, Dublin

The Future Looks Bright… SXSW ’09 Trends In Mobile

Is It Just Arrogance?

At SXSW 2009 (South by Southwest) conference in Austin,Texas, the audience was on fire and gave the panellists members on "Emerging Trends in Mobile" food for thought and a run for their money.

In its 22 years, SXSW has grown from a tiny music festival in the Texas capital into a massive, unavoidable media beast that reflects, discusses and showcases trends in culture and media but also often creates them, and draws an even larger international crowd each year (estimated 25 percent non-American attendants) seemed to be, from a show of hands, a well-informed group with a good number of mobile developers in attendance. Basically, proof the world has evolved faster than the Americans understand. Seems the world has embraced technology and their opportunities faster than the Americans and this worries service providers. One major factor is the system access battles and the ongoing battle for "product". One up-manship if you will.

Topics ranged from better device-charging solutions to developing for devices that come closer to standard Internet browsing every year. All in all, it was given that WAP technology is dead, fully Flash-enabled devices are the next step, image recognition capabilities and more detailed location-based information are crucial, and the idea that you'd have to actually plug a device into an outlet for any reason is becoming increasingly laughable.

What does this mean for marketers?

AdRants reported this morning that according to Rob Gonda, Director of Marketing Strategy and Analysis for interactive consultancy Sapient, "Mobile technology is about merging and converging the virtual world with the real world."

Through GPS and image recognition, consumers are able to drill deeper for product information and brands are able to engineer more impactful engagement experiences.

And as Juan-Carlos Morales, Sapient's Creative Director, pointed out, "None of this stuff is new. It's not how new it is that matters, but whether you are leveraging it in a more creative way."

And emerging opportunities for "rehashing and remashing" existing mobile technology are nothing if not creative.

Remember QR codes, which were supposed to change location-based mobile marketing? Yeah, they're ugly; and image recognition is the solution. Gonda gave an example of a shopper at a supermarket aiming a device at a product with image recognition to scan the logo and receiving more information about the brand, the product, online sales for the same product, etc. Any related data would be available for deeper, more qualified "drilling" from consumers, ensuring that marketing is no longer a distraction ripe for consumer tune-out but easily retrievable, relevant, and welcome information. (And from a design perspective, Gonda continued, packaging could become a lot simpler and more aesthetically pleasing, as well.)

In addition to allowing for deeper engagement with a campaign, image recognition and information retrieval could spell the end of assembly manuals for assembling furniture, toys, etc., as consumers are given access to step-by-step instructions and video tutorials on their mobile devices.

What about circumstances where images are not available for information retrieval? Welcome to the world of audio barcodes! Information is embedded in frequencies beyond the limits of human hearing, making radio, television, and even films targets for user-accessible data, from behind-the-scenes gossip to product info.

In the end, both Morales and Gonda concluded that consumers want easily accessible information everywhere they go, and they want it in small, digestible streams; smart brands will succeed by providing data in every possible circumstance.

The iPhone Changed it All

Panelists and audience members agreed that the iPhone has changed the model for mobile monetization. The accessibility of users' credit card information, the perception of security, the trust in the brand, and the ease of purchase have paved the way for money-making apps and music sales. Best of all, mobile hasn't suffered from the Web's "all content is free" paradigm.

One attendant hypothesized that the availability of product information and online alternatives (via mobile devices) combined with greater consumer comfort with mobile commerce would create a market of greater competition than ever before between brick-and-mortar and online retailers.

Also discussed in depth in this session was the trend toward Flash development for mobile devices. Although Flash Lite is already being used on mobile devices, manufacturers are still working toward fully Flash-enabled devices.

It was rumored that Android devices are closer to Flash than the iPhone; having Flash-ready mobiles will mean that companies will no longer need to pay for two sites (one for computers, one for mobiles) as browsing capabilities become identical across all devices.

Futurism aside, a one-brand, one-site world will mean that--until we build the Holodeck on a iPod--creatives and Web developers have to think about the current capabilities of mobile screens when designing full Web sites, as well.

So, what's on mobile's horizons?

"I'm not afraid to say it: I don't know," said Gonda.

"But it's all about mobile devices and human laziness."

Careful The Future May Cause Husbands To fear The Little Lady At Home…

In 1967 the Philco-Ford Corporation made an industrial film titled "1999 A.D." which predicted that fingertip shopping will be one of the homemaker's many conveniences…and an electric correspondence machine will allow for instant written communication between individuals anywhere in the world.

But back in the sixties, many saw themselves surviving into the next century. I was born in 1958, and I can remember looking at my father and realizing that when I was his age, it would be 2000. Profound stuff for a kid to ponder, to be sure.

And was fine since the husband could follow the wife's spending… that guy who cringes when he pays his wife's bill electronically is actually future game show host Wink Martindale.

If only they'd also been right about flying cars and robot maids.