(Graham Brown mobileYouth) Mobile Youth Social Media
1. SAMPLE: The full report contains 76 slides http://www.mobileyouth.org/report
2. Page Executive Summary Overview Business Case Goals Implementation Case Studies discuss this slide Mobile is value-add to Social Media not the reason Mobile is one part of the wider Social Media mix Consider your position as a mobile provider in adding value to existing platforms and applications as opposed to technically-led and narrow thinking of “how can we launch a mobile web 2.0” service? Look beyond the mobile context for cues and clues as to what underlies successful implementation of Social Media rather than confine your perspective to the limited field of mobile experience. That's why non-mobile examples are potentially more enlightening and valid to your own business case within mobile because they point to the key success factors – e.g. what do consumers want? - (rather than the technical issues) on which mobile service providers can build.
3. Page Executive Summary Overview Business Case Goals Implementation Case Studies discuss this slide Define your Social Media Goals Why are you considering Social Media? Before you enter the space define your key organizational objectives and take a call on the areas you believe Social Media can assist in achieving these goals. Successful implementations do not necessarily fall along traditional marketing lines; Social Media's effectiveness until now has mainly been in the organic marketing and margin growth of an organizational rather than short term rapid results in market share or top line revenues. Avoid the “Meatball Sundae” at all costs – investing in Social Media but still employing your old internal KPI/metrics (e.g. ARPU/market share) and their consequent short-term direct marketing tactics.
4. Page Executive Summary Overview Business Case Goals Implementation Case Studies discuss this slide Use Existing Platforms where possible Focus on Ease to Market and Consumer Acceptance A wealth of mobile pure plays within Social Media does not equate to an equivalent level of demand from the consumer. As is usually the case, technical supply outstrips consumer demand because engineers will always develop what appeals to them rather than the youth-in-the-street. Your average youth customer has a lower technical capability and tolerance than you think. Take your technical offering down a peg and focus on working with internet rather than mobile platforms as they have the critical mass required to validate the feasibility of content and technology types. Pure mobile social media should be considered as the riskiest of all marketing investments.
5. Page Executive Summary Overview Business Case Goals Implementation Case Studies discuss this slide Many Small Niches Build a Portfolio of Niche Applications and Services Large mass market offerings may appeal to marketers seeking large returns but the premium paid for broad marketing strategies is too high to justify the investment. Mobile service provides should focus on multiple niche lifestyle-specific applications and Social Media (e.g. Facebook app for students, mobile front end to community reviews for backpackers, co-branded Red Bull Air Race game for MySpace etc) A portfolio strategy will allow individual media performance to be measured facilitating future investment decisions against internal organizational objectives.
6. Page Key Trends in this report Overview Business Case Goals Implementation Case Studies discuss this slide Micro Blogging (eg Twitter) Niche Lifestyle Social Networks Micro Blogging (eg Twitter) Micro Blogging (eg Twitter) Emerging Markets Clarity drives Advertising $ Business case For influencers Consumer Originated Profiling Too early to invest In mobile pure plays Key Trends
7. Page What is Social Media? Social Media, often referred to as Web 2.0 in the technical press, is a collection of products that aim to build on top of exiting stable Web 1.0 technologies such as browser and email software. The whole Social Media approach is more integrated, inclusive and platform independent. There are 5 main categories of Social Media Video Sharing: Youtube, Vimeo, Blinx Social Networking: Facebook, Myspace, Bebo, Mixi Widgets & Mashups: Yahoo!, Microsites & Blogs: Blogger, Microblogs: Twitter Social Media success relies on 3 factors: 1) Critical Mass 2) Easy to Use Content Platform 3) Social Networking Most Social Media services need to be mobile enabled to reach the critical mass necessary to make the service sustainable and the market position unassailable to nearest rival. . Overview Business Case Goals Implementation Case Studies discuss this slide
8. Page Headline Statistics Social Networking Growth Consumers registered on Social Networking sites crosses 0.5 billion in 2008 reaching over 800 million in 2010. Asia Pacific leads the world by numbers, particularly Japan and Korea whose widely used networks Mixi and Cyworld exemplify the inclusive nature of Social Media for young consumers. Development outside EU and North America demonstrates 2 qualities: 1) New markets show interest in broad generic offerings such as MySpace and Facebook 2) More established markets more conducive to localized content offerings focusing on local language and local themes. Overview Business Case Goals Implementation Case Studies discuss this slide Social Networking Growth by Region (millions of subscribers) source: mobileYouth based on comScore data
9. Page Headline Statistics Emerging Markets show strongest growth By the end of 2008, nearly 2/3rds of the subscriber base on Facebook lived outside of North America, and nearly 40% outside of NA & EU combined. Emerging markets are the forefront for Social Media growth for 2 reasons 1) Both industry and consumers alike have less of an ingrained history in media consumption meaning traditional media could be bypassed in developing brand communication channels 2) India and China have yet to come fully on board with Social Media because services often require large upfront capital investments and mobile/internet usage is lower than the rest of the world Overview Business Case Goals Implementation Case Studies discuss this slide Facebook Growth by Region (millions of subscribers) source: mobileYouth based on Comscore data 63% of Facebook Subscribers outside North America in 2008
10. Page 5 Step Execution for Social Media Overview Business Case Goals Implementation Case Studies Measurement Take full advantage of Social Media requires considering new metrics. Introduce new performance indicators alongside existing organizational measurements – e.g. Lifetime Value, Churn and/or Net Promoter Score as well as ARPU and market share. Strategic Planning How can mobile complement Social Media? Focus on value-add activity. Marketing needs to create something sustainable within the consumer's lifestyle that provides a degree of social utility Developing the Business Case Identify business goals that need work Adopt clearly defined organizational goals for Social Media Entering Social Media as an exploratory foray can be expensive and time-consuming. Goals need to reflect the organizational demands Implementation Social Media tactics need to move from campaign to organic growth . Sustainable relationships and dialogue cannot be built in the short term, How much of the marketing will continue after we stop spending? If it is zero, then the strategy is merely a traditional media campaign under the guise of Social Media. Conversation Successful implementation requires an organization free of overbearing marcomms restrictions and able to engage in dialogue with consumers. Conversation also requires marketing to be reactive to consumer needs rather than focused solely on campaign execution.. Project is Live Results discuss this slide
11. Page Overview Business Case Goals Implementation Case Studies discuss this slide Social Media Goals Develop Partner Develop partnerships e.g. online job search to provide mobile mashup for young office workers,high school content magazine to provide mobile Flickr upload to shared photo stream Develop widget or mashup service that integrates into existing Social Media platform (eg Facebook, Flickr etc) accessible from mobile channel Identify Social Media and sub-groupings used by target segment through primary research (e.g. on the street video) Identify Goal: Grow presence with niche lifestyle segments – eg. Asian college students, female high school students or young office workers
12. Page Overview Business Case Goals Implementation Case Studies discuss this slide 2 Core Drivers Successful Brands and Content focus on the Key Drivers not Trends Chasing trends can be a never-ending an expensive pastime for marketing planning. As soon as a trend has been identified and actioned it has become outdated. Building your Social Media on the core drivers of behavior focuses the offering on the fundamental appeal rather than the short term trend. Myspace, for example, has been popular over the long term because it has not capitalized on a trend but has delivered what young people always enjoyed – talking about music, connecting, exploring and expanding their social universe. Need to belong Need to be significant Community, shared values, groups, identity, shared interests & hobbies, lifestyle identification, networking with peers and like-minded people Trend setting, status, leadership, shaping opinion, being rated & recognized by peers, competition, 2 key drivers underlying all youth consumer behavior
13. Page Overview Business Case Goals Implementation Case Studies discuss this slide Qualitative Research Youth, Social Media and Online Communities These video shorts provide insights into how youth use and benefit from Social Media. What you'll learn is that: a) there are quite different usage levels of Social Media; many youth are and will always will be the “follower/bystanders” leaving the content creation to the “leaders” and b) many of the “leader” category are keen to use Social Media not just to promote themselves but promote their content (e.g. their band, their book etc). Bonus research video click to watch online
14. Page Overview Business Case Goals Implementation Case Studies discuss this slide Qualitative Research Youth and Consumer Generated Content 90% of Youth are consumers of rather than producers of content and no measure of encouragement will change this basic social dynamic. The 90%/10% balance is a natural skewing of peer groups – those that set the agenda and those that follow it. Social Media developers who try to change the balance often fail to realize that the vast majority of followers are happy being just that and do not wish to avidly promote themselves to the wider peer group. Applications must therefore reflect this social equilibrium as the 90% are, by definition, the vast majority. Bonus research video click to watch online
15. Page Overview Business Case Goals Implementation Case Studies discuss this slide Qualitative Research Youth and Media Consumption Habits Youth consumption of TV today differs from their forebears on 4 accounts: 1) Youth watch TV less with little or no “appointment to view” 2) When youth do watch TV it is more likely to be in conjunction with other media activities – eg watch TV and use notebook PC at same time 3) Youth are more likely to watch TV online – esp. sites such as Youtube – in their own time 4) The traditional forms of social interaction around TV have all but disappeared (e.g. discussing the program the day after at college) replaced by online discussion and chat around the video on Youtube Bonus research video click to watch online
16. Page Overview Business Case Goals Implementation Case Studies discuss this slide Twitter Still Niche but Offers Greatest Long Term Value Twitter is still the domain of the early adopter but 2009 will see the adoption of this micro-blogging service as an increasingly familiar youth marketing channel. Twitter effectively communicates the equivalent of MSN/Facebook/MySpace status updates between peers – a simple yet clear content offering that fulfils the 2 key drivers of consumer behavior. We recommend providers explore the growing number of Twitter mashups such as Twiddeo that provide a more workable content platform for potential marketers. S Flexibility Niche Scope Mobile Access
17. Page Twitter demographics Twitter Consumers Predominantly Youth Data shows Twitter is now a viable youth communication tool with 18-24 yr olds comprising twice as many subscribers as the US average. The majority of Twitter usage is currently based around the main Twitter platform – being easily accessible from the mobile phone through applications such as the Twitterberry, SMS or direct mobile internet access. The growth of Twitter lies in the growing number of 3 rd party mashups that are often easily accessible through mobile e.g.; Twiddeo, LOL Feeds, Photophlow, Planypus, Mobypicture, Twiddeo etc Overview Business Case Goals Implementation Case Studies discuss this slide Twitter Usage Profiles by Age
18. Page Overview Business Case Goals Implementation Case Studies discuss this slide Mobile Pure Plays Friendstribe Similar to AkiAki, a location based buddy list accessible through WAP or SMS shortcodes. FunkySexyCool (FSC) Mobile originated dating service that follows the mold of most internet based dating services. Itsmy.com Camera video sharing community that enables (oddly) to be mobile only. Jygy a social networking service based around microsites created by the subscribers and collectively edited by friends
19. Page Overview Business Case Goals Implementation Case Studies discuss this slide Creating Brand Ownership Bonus Videos: Jones Soda How do these brands actively allow themselves to be promoted through Social Media? Brand ownership does not have to be about giving consumers fancy technology to personalize their products but often small changes such as relaxing marcomms control on the use of the brand in Social Media. The irreverent nature of the brand is reflected in the attitude of the consumers and how they use the product. Jones has real social utility – it enables the consumers to fulfill the two basic social drivers by giving them a degree of control over the product itself. Bonus videos click to watch online
20. Page Overview Business Case Goals Implementation Case Studies discuss this slide Using Relevant Channels Each medium possesses different strengths and weaknesses so should be used for the marketing purposes best suited to your objectives. Youtube is an excellent PR tool – as discovered by both EA (Jesus Shot) and JetBlue in addressing service weaknesses. Where organizations traditionally would hide mistakes, the more proactive have used Youtube to come clean. Likewise Twitter's ability to motivate the influencers is getting noticed by the more proactive of marketers – as with the 2008 US Election and brands such as JetBlue; your most influential consumers are using it. Diesel jetBlue Twitter Vote JetBlue Twitter Jones Soda Youtube
21. Page Overview Business Case Goals Implementation Case Studies discuss this slide Gender Nike Women Japan Nike's core audience target in the Japanese market was 18-25 year old females, usually students or young office workers whose interest in running and sports was intrinsically linked into their personal identity. Key aspects of the micro-site included 1) NikeID: a consumer generated content application allowing women to design and personally brand their own high-end sports shoes 2) High profile partnerhip with Apple Ipod 3) Mobile phone applications to track running logs, competitions and the above NikeID.
22. Page Overview Business Case Goals Implementation Case Studies discuss this slide Lifestyle Bonus Video – Meet the Freshers AOL Bebo's Meet the Freshers is a prime example of a niche lifestyle focus Social Media offering. Watch a snippet of the video on the MobileYouthNet website. Students are going to be more responsive to content that contains their peers and being featured is highly conducive to word-of-mouth which is crucial in tightly knit social communities such as campuses (as with the Jones Soda examples later). Bonus research video click to watch online
23. Page Overview Business Case Goals Implementation Case Studies discuss this slide Ethnic Ethnic Social Media has been round for a long time. Community Connect (recently bought by RadioOne) has been active in the ethnic lifestyle space since 1996 offering the following networks: 1) Asian Avenue (American Asians) 2) Black Planet (African Americans) 3) Migente (Hispanic Americans) BlackPlanet.com - With over 18 million members, average 2007 monthly page views of 400 MM, and average 2007 monthly unique visits of 4 MM - ranked after MySpace, Facebook and Bebo. It is the only site targeting a multicultural community in the top 10 (Hitwise)
24. Page What is mobileYouth? mobileYouth is both a study of the universe of young people and a guide to better develop and market products for these consumers. It’s all too easy to get lost in the technology, the non-sensical self-talk of the internet, mobile and media industries when sometimes the smallest things create the biggest leverage in customers satisfaction. Building dialogue and trust with young consumers through internal change Points of change typically revolve around: * Building proactive dialogue with consumers rather than “listening” * Change through adopting new internal language and semantics (e.g. dumping useless terms such as “killer applications”, “value chains”, “end users” etc in favor of “services”, “value networks”, “consumers”) * Integrating the product development and marketing processes * Creating consumer advocacy through establishing the company within the peer group * Experimenting with youth as brand stakeholders * Measuring internal performance and KPI through “lifetime customer value” rather than “net adds” From Apple to Xerox We’ve been covering nearly 60 countries now since the project’s inception and it continues to grow, bringing on board new and exciting clients who we have the privilege of working with and learning from for the first time - from McDonald’s to Adidas to Apple to the European Commission. It doesn’t really get much better than that in terms of scope and scale for consumer insight. Overview Business Case Goals Implementation Case Studies discuss this slide
25. Page What is mobileYouth not ? It’s worth noting that mobileYouth is not a study of technology. It’s principally a study of young consumers and, incidentally, how mobile technologies fit into and compliment their lifestyles. Readers expecting to see reams of “killer applications” and a business case for the adoption of MMS are often disappointed, because they’re trying to shoehorn the consumer needs into effectively shoes that don’t fit or don’t appeal. I’d rather they were disappointed with the research than their consumer loyalty figures. Overview Business Case Goals Implementation Case Studies discuss this slide
26. Page What is mobileYouth not ? * It’s not for companies focused on young people. It’s for all companies who have consumers that are or were once young. As the modern consumer becomes less responsive to traditional marketing techniques and the digital age implies a greater premium on the trust between brand and audience, the importance of initiating a dialogue between the company and the consumer at an earlier stage cannot be overlooked. * It’s not about trying to sell to young people. It’s about developing a lifelong dialogue with consumers young and old that starts when individuals become “consumers”. Yes, Harley Davidson has been phenomenally success in the last 20 years. Why? Because. like the mobile industry it rides the crest of a wave, constantly focusing on the needs of the customer with the deepest pockets rather than the greatest lifetime value. Harley’s wave comprises aging but cash-rich consumers. The average age of an owner is now 51. What will Harley do in 20 years when that hits 71? Riding the wave brings many benefits, but all waves die out, and with it your brand. It’s harder, yet more profitable in the long term to swim into the current. * To be honest, it’s not all about mobile either. It’s about the mobile nature of young people more than anything, how we live in a changing world, yet their needs are fundamental and often timeless. Mobile touches so many aspects of our daily lives, we could not consider this project without also considering media, marketing, consumer loyalty and so on. * It’s not about finding the “next big thing”. Long term success does not come in quick fixes. You won’t find us touting the equivalent of “The Secret” here. Unfortunately for those that would rather pick the lock than find the keys to success, it requires hard work and to some degree change and introspection. You can hire all the trend-spotters in the world and many of them are fantastic at what they do - namely identifying what piques your consumer interest, but they are unlikely to answer the why question. Yes, London youth today like to hang out and listen to Grime on their mobile phones but will this information help you identify what comes next? As Harry Beckwith said in “What Clients Love”, “we cannot predict the future, but we can predict what our customers love”. Studying these fundamental drivers of behavior that shape the social domain provide insights into the motives behind apparent trends such as text messaging, Facebook etc.European Commission. It doesn’t really get much better than that in terms of scope and scale for consumer insight. Overview Business Case Goals Implementation Case Studies discuss this slide
27. Page About Graham Brown Overview Business Case Goals Implementation Case Studies discuss this slide Born in the UK, Graham has spent his life living and working in both London and Tokyo. A keen psychology graduate, Graham has focused his marketing career on understanding what influences consumer behavior. Graham established mobileYouth in 2001 with Josh Dhaliwal at a time when the blanket industry response to youth was “we don’t do kids”. Needless to say, things have changed a little since then and Graham’s role in the organization has evolved from knocking on the doors of operators to maintaining the research momentum and deepening our understanding of what the consumer (ie the report buyers) want. As well as speaking at industry conferences on the subject of young consumers, Graham has appeared on CNBC, Sky, CNN and BBC TV regarding youth marketing issues as well as in print with the FT, Guardian, WSJ and the Sunday Times.
28. Page Continue your research... Overview Business Case Goals Implementation Case Studies discuss this slide mobileYouthNet.com Networking professionals in the mobile youth space. Watch on-the-street videos of our reporters talking to youth about mobile and marketing. Events calendar, discussion, contacts and more. Join today for free at http://www.mobileYouthNet.com
29. Page Continue your research... Overview Business Case Goals Implementation Case Studies discuss this slide mobileYouth.org Blogging mobile, youth, marketing and branding trends since 2001 with articles by Josh Dhaliwal and Graham Brown As always, free to read. Includes presentations and videos published by mobileYouth and partners http://www.mobileYouth.org
30. Page Overview Business Case Goals Implementation Case Studies discuss this slide World Vision Building a better world for children http://www.WorldVision.com mobileYouth supports World Vision and both the company and myself, Graham Brown and Josh Dhaliwal, donate a proportion of earnings to the cause. As an industry we have benefit immensely from the ingenuity and passion of young consumers. Where would we be today without SMS? We owe that to youth. I personally feel indebted to them and believe that if we as an industry endeavour to repay at least a nominal fraction back to those less fortunate than us then we have, to some degree, acknowledged how lucky we are. World Vision operates across the globe in community projects and relief work. You can get involved by visiting their website or better still why don’t you adopt a child at your office? For literally pennies ($25/month) – ie less than an average office spends on coffee - you and your colleagues can help raise a child out of poverty and in return receive regular holiday, birthday cards and school progress updates from them.