Each week, I compose a newsletter that includes a series of links about current events and trends in the worlds of technology, social media, mobile, communications and marketing in order to keep the wider team up to date on changes, newsworthy items and content that might be useful in their jobs. These are those links.
If you have additional links, sources or ideas that might be helpful, I'd encourage you to add some via a comment below or tag me in Google+. And if you’re on Flipboard, you can get these links in my new This Week in Social Media Magazine.
Industry News
- More than half of surveyed marketers feel that they're missing key data points to inform them about their customers, according to a recent CMO Council survey. 57% feel that they're missing data and 30% think they probably are, but aren't sure what's missing.
- Oscar Wilde once said of the US and UK, "we are two nations separated by a common language." It would seem that extends to social networking as well. While the English language may be the same, habits are different. For example, in the US, self-promotion is common while in the UK it is taboo.
- Internet use in the Middle East and Africa still lags behind other areas of the world.
- The PEW Research Center's Project for Excellence in Journalism brings good news for brand publishers, noting that traditional sites like Forbes and The Atlantic have used native advertising to help grow revenues.
- But as native advertising becomes more pervasive, the lines between paid and earned media are blurring - sometimes to an indiscernible degree. Sites like BuzzFeed, Mashable, the Huffington Post, Business Insider and more are using these tactics and some question whether readers understand the difference between an article and a sponsored post.
- We live in a multitasking world: social platforms such as Facebook (83.7%) and Twitter (66.9%) are accessed while watching TV; and 40% of mobile searches are done while watching TV.
- The number of TV cord-cutters is increasing faster than expected, at over 1.08 million last year; and yet - despite the continued lack of accountability in metrics - TV advertising spending keeps increasing.
The Platforms
- Facebook unveiled its deal with the four Android-based phones to create Facebook Home, where Facebook will have a presence across the device, including the home screen (called "Cover Feed").
- Ads are not included on the first rollout of Facebook Home, but it's clear that there will be advertising in Facebook Home's Cover Feed (Home page takeover ads anyone? We'll see how long users put up with that).
- Facebook has announced ad targeting partnerships with Axciom, Epsilon and Datalogix that will result in better targeted ads, thanks to tracking user activity outside of Facebook, including location, browsing history and purchases made.
- 18-24 year-olds on Facebook now have an average of 510 friends.
- Facebook has given advertisers new opportunities to run more relevant ads and test their creative in News Feed by allowing them to create “unpublished posts” that intentionally do not appear to all fans of their page.
- Facebook is seeing more teen users flock to other platforms. But where are they going? Mostly mobile messaging apps, such as WhatsApp, Kik and Snapchat.
- But they're also going to Twitter - a fact that is backed up by Piper Jaffray's Taking Stock with Teens survey, which also looks at their spending and consumption habits.
- Related: Twitter's Vine app is now the #1 downloaded app in the U.S.
- Vine has turned on the ability to embed videos on websites. Here’s a great infographic on why Twitter's Vine is the next big thing for brands.
- LinkedIn has added Facebook-like mentions of people and companies in status updates and home page comments.
- Here are five emerging platforms that marketing and communications pros should know. Included is Sina Weibo, which has more than double the number of users of Twitter.
- ExactTarget has produced an executive summary of its 2013 global research report on Subscribers, Fans and Followers. Lots of great info there about how fans interact with brands in different countries, where they spend their time and what they want on different channels.
Legal/Regulatory
Measurement/Big Data
- Held to a higher standard than the difficult to measure television advertising (where scads of money are still being spent), digital media is still struggling with measurement.
- The secret to great infographics? It's not to dumb things down. Data visualization is all about giving people something to really think about.
- What do marketers want from big data? A CMO Council survey finds that the opportunity is there, but there's still more progress to be made before truly harnessing it. At this point, its primary use is for leads.
Bookmarks/Read-Watch-Listen Later
- How valuable are stunts to brands? You might be surprised.
- Edelman Chief Content Strategist Steve Rubel is interviewed on FIR and shares his thoughts on the necessity of creating a "newsroom culture" at brands and how some ar e choosing to work directly with media companies in the process. Lots of great conversation here as many media companies are struggling with ad revenue and how to fill the gap. This is where journalism comes in, and the inevitable discussion of the separation of "church and state" (paid vs. earned) is part of that discussion. A fascinating listen (39 minutes).
- As always, all of the links above are available on Delicious and This Week in Social Media Magazine on Flipboard.
Commentary
The online world tends to isolate us from other people. The absolute or relative anonymity has fostered a sense of freedom from consequences, which itself can result in displays of behavior that, if displayed in real life, would frankly lead to you getting punched in the nose. In fact, recent surveys show that online disagreements have led to as many as 1 in 5 people blocking or unfriending someone whom they know in real life.Whether it's an individual dealing with online bullying or brands that deal with grandstanding customers who harass them with hours-old Twitter accounts, we're seeing a breakdown of common decency and politeness. It can be likened to the crowd mentality at any large public event, where people think they can more easily get away with certain activity because of the anonymity of crowds.
Two books have hit the market recently that draw a line in the sand, saying "Enough, already!" The first is Nice Companies Finish First: Why Cutthroat Management is Over--and Collaboration Is In by Peter Shankman. Peter has lots of great experiences with brands doing nice things and even wanted to include Ford's own Alan Mulally in his book. The other is Civility in the Digital Age: How Companies and People Can Triumph Over Haters, Trolls, Bullies and Other Jerks by Andrea Weckerle, founder of CiviliNation. Andrea was recently interviewed as part of the FIR Book Club series, where she discusses what led her to write the book and found the nonprofit organization. [Book links disclosure: cmp.ly/5]
Just as school bullying is getting a good deal of attention, it's important to understand that we need to be equally as vigilant and united in trying to reduce or stop this kind of behavior online. We're all responsible for fostering a better online community.
Image credit: Mondo Tiki Man (Flickr)
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