news feed

an upfront media publication

issue 29 | feb 2012

Kodak has become the latest giant to falter in the face of advancing technology. the borders Group liquidated last year after having failed to gain a foothold in e-books, while blockbuster sold itself to dish network last year as its retail outlets lost ground to online competitors like netflix. How do brands keep up with the ever-changing digital landscape? an endearing twitter campaign by macdonalds and italian luxury brand tods visual feast on tumblr are just two of the companies we look at on this months upfront media newsfeed.

Jamie Yeo director, upfront media pte ltd

Latest news

the heartbeat oF sociaL media

mcdonaLds FoLLows twitter Fiasco with another hashtaG campaiGn

Facebook app Lets sam adams Fans crowdsource a tap

eXcLusiVe: tods no_code campaiGn bY roe ethridGe

2011 was the Year oF the mobiLe consumer, whats in store For 2012?

new technoLoGies aim to increase mobiLe phone LiFe on-the-Go

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upfront media news feed | issue 29 | feb 2012

tHe Heartbeat of social media

by pam moore
26 january 2012 | socialmediatoday.com

in one simple status update or 140 character tweet we can ask for help, brag about a great day or accomplishment, or simply ask for a prayer when in need. within usually seconds we get a response. someone sends a verse of inspiration, words of wisdom, a virtual pat on the back via a like or share. its more than technoLoGY. its the power of community that makes these networks special. its not the network, nor the technology infrastructure that is the community. its not the like button or the comment box. its definitely not the annoying new facebook timeline. the social networks are simply the medium that connects people to other people. so what is it? what is that keeps the social heartbeat of facebook? How do social networks such as facebook and twitter keep the healthy pulse morning, noon and night? i host the #Getrealchat every tuesday night at 9pm et. we get between 12-25 million impressions on a typical night. However, its not the impressions or opt-ins that keep the community thriving. its the people. people that i can remember joining a year ago who could hardly tweet or retweet. yet today they are now leading their communities. they are helping others, and we are all succeeding together as a team, not as one. twitter is simply the medium that lets us connect weekly with folks across the globe.
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it is human nature to want to connect, feel needed, be acknowledged, be understood, appreciated for what we accomplish and contribute to our small circles and ecosystem as a whole. its no wonder that social networks such as facebook and twitter have taken off as a force to be reckoned with. what makes Facebook and twitter stickY? what are the successful social networks doing better than other networks? why do people gravitate to one social network over the other? what makes them stick around? why is facebook able to attract everything from my 70 year old mother-in-law to my 7 yr old son? facebook satisfies some of our basic human needs. our needs to belong, to be provided for, to fit in.

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upfront media news feed | issue 29 | feb 2012

tweeters who can sometimes bring a tear to my eye in a simple 140 character tweet. to me, that is powerful and what keeps me stickin and tweetin around. yes, Google plus has good momentum. it is now clearly understood for businesses that depend on the search engines for web traffic to drive business leads that they can not ignore Google and Google plus. However, i question if Google will ever win the heart. i question if they will ever be able to keep up the pulse with the likes of facebook and twitter. forcing us to +1 something for search results is far different than someone sharing a business article to help a friend who needs a job or a picture of a new baby with a Grandma who lives across the country. the heartbeat oF sociaL media is You and me. its what they see, talk about, share, listen to, watch, virtually touch and feel that keeps them coming back. its the emotion of good, sad, bad, frustrated, happy and grateful. its the ability to share all of those special times and moments with others. its the sharing of hopes,

the heartbeat oF sociaL is the peopLe. that heartbeat Gets stronGer, Louder and becomes ViraL as more peopLe FeeL and hear it.

dreams, ups, downs, prayers, accomplishments that keep us bonded. its new friendships that start with a tweet on twitter and turn into a like or friendship on facebook. its the friendship that evolves to in real life friendship. the heartbeat of social is people sharing life together. yes, we share business. yes, we share blog posts, data, expertise, tips and tricks. However, at the end of the day, people buy from people. people are at the heart of communities. communities are the heart of the social networks. you cant have one without the other. mY question For You. are you part of the beating heart? or are you just a part of the noise contributing to the stress, confusion and disbelief in the value of social media. i challenge you to ponder this question in your online work in 2012. do something of value. do something that makes people smile. do something that creates communities doing good things together. do something that outlives you. focus on helping others achieve their goals and chances are achieving yours will happen by default!
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social media websites that connect us with others. (image credit: maigi)

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upfront media news feed | issue 29 | feb 2012

mcdonalds follows twitter fiasco witH anotHer HasHtaG campaiGn

by todd wasserman
26 january 2012 | masHable.com

mcdonalds whose last twitter campaign, themed #mcdstories, became a magnet for criticism of the brand launched another hashtag campaign on wednesday. the new drive is called #littlethings. the fast food giant introduced the talking point with the following tweet, which hit at 11:42 est: no line at the bank, a large tax refund, & those extra fries at the bottom of the bag. what are some #littlethings that bring you joy? despite the open-ended nature of the campaign, so far few users have used the hashtag as a forum for bashing the brand or taking the conversation in off-color directions. responses so far include a good cup of coffee in the morning and a childs laugh. thats a far cry from #mcdstories, which drew comments like fingernail in my big mac once and ordered a mcdouble. something in the damn thing chipped my molar. However, mcdonalds may have another issue with #littlethings: doubletree by Hilton recently launched a promoted tweet campaign with the same hashtag. reps from doubletree could not be reached for comment at press time. mcdonalds, which has close to 300,000 followers on twitter and 13.8 million fans on facebook, racked up those impressive stats

behind strong brand recognition. but the company has been largely tentative with its social media strategy. that began to change late last year when the brand launched a livingsocial deal offering a booklet of five big mac vouchers and five vouchers for large fries for $13 half the normal cost. mcdonalds also ran a program in december crowdsourcing 10 mini-movies promoting a new menu item, mcbites. rick wion, the brands social media director, says that there will be more news on the social media front: we are actually launching a larger-scale social effort for a new menu item that includes but goes far beyond twitter soon, he says. do you think #littlethings can eclipse the negative momentum of #mcdstories?

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upfront media news feed | issue 29 | feb 2012

facebooK app lets sam adams fans crowdsource a tap

by todd wasserman
19 january 2012 | masHable.com

if youre worried about spending all those hours on facebook with nothing to show for it, take heart. now that time can be used to produce something tangible: beer. following in the footsteps of mountain dew and coca-cola, sam adams on thursday released a facebook app that lets fans crowdsource a brew. the app allows facebook members to choose among various beer characteristics, including color, clarity, body, hops and malt. the attributes that get the greatest response will be used to create a collaborative ale that will be brewed in february. the as-yet-unnamed beer will then enjoy a limited circulation it will only be available in select bars in austin during south by southwest in march and at the sam adams boston brewery. the beer will also be launched at a Guy Kawasakis Girl + Guy party during sXsw on march 10. fairly tentative in the first few years of the social media age because of industry scrutiny over marketing to consumers under 21, beer marketers are using facebook more and more. budweiser set the tone last february with a campaign that asked fans to go on the social network to choose which commercial would run during the super bowl. Heineken also released a facebook app called beerfinder

last year that paired users with a like-minded facebook friend and let them buy a $100 beertender device under the pretense of buying it for the other person. bert boyce, a brewer with sam adams, says the idea behind the latest age-gated venture is to provide a story behind the beer. says boyce: weve done stuff in social media before, but now were taking it to the next level.

sam adams new facebook app that allows facebook users to weigh in on what they want to see in a new brew.

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upfront media news feed | issue 29 | feb 2012

eXclusiVe: tods no_code campaiGn by roe etHridGe

by dazed digital
24 january 2012 | dazeddiGital.com

italian heritage brand tods breaks with convention to create tods no_code, a capsule shoe collection for both men and women in collaboration with dazed & confused cofounder, jefferson Hack. we lean forward to the next crazy venture beneath the skies its one of the key lines from jack Kerouacs novel on the road, references Hack. and i cant wait to take no_ code on the road, and walk a pair across time zones, dancefloors, cityscapes and into the desert of my imagination, where they are sure to see me through the darkness.
photographer roe ethridge shot meghan collison and christian brylle for tods and jefferson Hacks no_code collection - watch an exclusive clip from the campaign shoot here!

i cant wait to take no_code on the road, and waLk a pair across time zones, danceFLoors, citYscapes and into the desert oF mY imaGination, where theY are sure to see me throuGh the darkness.

Hack worked with tods design team and artisanal craftsmen to develop a cohesive lifestyle collection that, whilst inherently contemporary, remains true to tods heritage and made in italy values of fine quality, attention to detail and authenticity. reflecting the spirit of tods no_code, the campaign was shot in a variety of locales by photographer roe ethridge. styled by dazed senior menswear editor robbie spencer,

models meghan collison and christian brylle came together to embody the s/s12 collections 24-hour. to coincide with the launch, tods have transferred the thinking behind the campaign onto a specially created tumblr, providing a behind the scenes look at the photo shoot, as well as a stream of tods inspirations from vintage style icons to scenic snapshots. tods no_code is available at all tods stores and will be exclusively debuted and sold at dover street market in london, 10 corso como in milan, colette in paris and my theresa in munich to coincide with the fashion week calendar.
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upfront media news feed | issue 29 | feb 2012

2011 was tHe year of tHe mobile consumer, wHats in store for 2012?
by brian solis
7 february 2012 | briansolis.com

chris silva, my colleague at altimeter Group, released a useful report today that i wanted to share with you here. mobile is important and i believe you know this. However, when we consider mobile, we often think about the experience when and where it begins. but, we often miss the opportunity to lead a more meaningful journey as it may travel from small screen to larger screens across laptops, desktops and beyond. and along the way, we must now determine our role in this journey to provide information, shape decisions, and influence behavior. in chris report, he reminds us that 2011 was the year of the mobile consumer. as he notes

2011 saw a surGe in mobiLe users, but 2012 is the Year when smartphone owners become the maJoritY oF users, currentLY hoVerinG Just beLow 50% oF u.s. mobiLe phone users. tabLets, too, take center staGe with a near 24% caGr in adoption.

indeed. think about all of the events leading up to this moment today and the role your smartphone or tablet played in helping your discover, share, communicate and learn. you might in fact, be reading this on your mobile device now. the reality is that growth in mobile is blinding as consumers break the shackles of

their pcs and expand beyond the reach of wifi to keep them connected to information and people anywhere and everywhere. this is an important moment in the evolution of mobile as it no longer simply about communication or smart communication. mobile is causing a fundamental shift in society where consumers are evolving into connected consumers. this connected mindset is empowering as people take advantage of on-demand access to not just information, but other people, opinions, shared experiences, and a bevy of apps and resources to help make more informed and efficient decisions than ever before.
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upfront media news feed | issue 29 | feb 2012

constant change in market dynamics is of course retail. this past holiday season only proved the point. consumers scanned barcodes or Qr codes to check prices nearby and online. and, before they would consider finalizing the purchase, they would ask for a little help from their friends by taking to social networks or review sites to validate decisions. in his report, chris observes

retaiLers, to date, haVe had miXed success tarGetinG these users. whiLe manY haVe achieVed success with mobiLe, a maturitY LeVeL aLtimeter deFines as FLYinG hiGh with their mobiLe strateGY, manY are in a middLe Ground oF maturitY, caLLed hittinG turbuLence and manY more are stiLL not Yet started and hiGhLY immature, or stiLL on the Ground.

in chris graphic, we can see just how pervasive mobile is within our increasingly connected society. - tablets comprise 7% of population of all mobile devices owners - android users spend on average 1.24 hours daily engaging with the device - 77% of smartphone users put their phone to work while shopping 58% of adults are somewhat or very likely to make a purchase on their smartphone (this will only become standard one day) one of the biggest areas impacted by this

Hitting turbulence is indeed the right metaphor. some of the biggest retailers were caught surprisingly off guard or rigid in their ability to adapt when consumers would ask customer service managers to match prices displayed on the mobile phone. small screens caused big ramifications as those consumers would instead leave rather than succumb to aging in store policies that, nowadays, work against the retailer. think about it for a moment. consumers willingly abandoned what could be a point of purchase because of a policy that doesnt apply to todays standards that are driving connected consumerism. many times, they would spend their savings in gas to purchase elsewhere or online. if this continues, local retailers will simply become
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upfront media news feed | issue 29 | feb 2012

the showrooms of the more adaptive and competitive online retailers. and just wait until mobile commerce becomes disruptive. aVoidinG mistakes and how to win. but this is not just about matching prices. this is about shaping and steering experiences. from apps, to in store guides and reward systems, to check-ins to payments and beyond. and as we think through how to engage customers on the small screen, especially within the store environment, walking in the shoes of our connected consumers is now part of the job. we are in fact, the consumers we are trying to reach and as such, we must not introduce strategies that are disconnected from the start. Here, chris provides a list of common mistakes to avoid: #1: mobile for mobiles sake. major retail brands such as abercrombie & fitch (a&f) and longhorn steakhouse are prime examples of brands rushing to mobile with a focus on the medium and not the end goal of impacting the business. #2: missing the chance to target mobile users. another common mistake is not targeting mobile users. for example, amazon launched a campaign on december 10, 2011, to have users scan products in-store using its price check app. instead chris shares tips and best practices to help brands and retailers better connect with the connected consumer: #1: align mobile with other key teams. winning mobile teams are tightly aligned with marketing loyalty programs and

e-commerce teams. for example, starbucks built its wildly successful application not around revenue or loyalty card adhesion, but instead around ease of purchase. #2: focus on what the user needs. mobile strategies should be holistic and remain focused on what users are seeking. informational apps may seem simple in design, but a solid strategy seeks to solve the information problem, not just the mobile problem. #3: allocate the resources necessary to make mobile successful. allocation of the necessary resources at u.s. pharmacy and convenience retailer walgreens is at the forefront of everything the company does in mobile. the walgreens app used the mobile devices camera to scan a prescription barcode to initiate a refill, is an example of multichannel lite activity. #4: mobile means multiple platforms. one of the few retailers profiled that has built a tablet and smartphone version of its app along with a fully featured mobile website, zappos, worked many processes in parallel to get its application off the ground. everything begins with understanding the maturity of your mobile strategy so that you pinpoint areas where to improve in capabilities and ultimately more engaging and productive experienceswith desired outcomes. on the Ground. retailers in this phase of maturity are just beginning their journey into mobile. theyre on the runway, ready for takeoff, but still laying out the groundwork for their mobile strategy in its first iteration. there is much ground to
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upfront media news feed | issue 29 | feb 2012

cover, and the potential to fall behind or lose ground to competitors is high. hittinG turbuLence. retailers at this maturity phase have jumped into mobile with some of the best intentions but have not realized the revenue or customer interaction gains they hoped to achieve. what is most likely holding them back are that the efforts in these organizations are not clearly focused on serving business needs or actual customer pains. FLYinG hiGh. the news is not all bad; we interviewed many successful mobile teams that have attained success with their mobile strategy. their apps currently provide a positive impact to the business and make interaction and purchasing easier for customers, addressing an actual customer pain.

if 2011 was the year of the mobile consumer, 2012 is the year of the mobile marketer. you are now an architect of experiences that helps the customer journey end in your favor. use this report to help build a bridge not only between screens, but also to weave engaging, useful and efficient experiences that help customers make decisions in your favor now and over time. innovation is now an ongoing investment as expectations and device capabilities will continue to evolve in parallel. think about the experience and the desired outcomenot just mobile for mobiles sake. the small screen is a window to decisions, sentiment, and loyalty. download it or read it below to learn more about how to deliver remarkable mobile experience.

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upfront media news feed | issue 29 | feb 2012

new tecHnoloGies aim to increase mobile pHone life on-tHe-Go

by ciara fitzpatricK
23 january 2012 | simplyzesty.com

with mobile phones users placing more and more demands on phones battery lives as they use it to text, email, make calls, browse the web or play games, in work or college, as well as during commutes or socialising, its about time that new technologies were developed to create longer battery lives, or to charge a phone without access to an electricity grid and a number of different organisations are doing just this. researchers at cambridge are working on developing a phone that will require very little charging, spectrum.ieee.org are reporting. electricity is created within the phone itself, which is at this stage described as a prototype device that converts ambient light into electricity using an array of solar cells made of thin-film hydrogenated amorphous silicon thats designed to sit within the phones screen, which prolongs the battery life of the device. it will be quite some time though until we see this technology widely available, so in the meantime its up to innovative chargers to keep our phones powered up on the go. one on-thego solution would be mycharge rechargeable batteries for tablets, ipods and iphones; one of their chargers claims to double or triple the battery life of the iphone 4. a more innovative device is powertrekk it is a fuel cell technology charger that works with all devices powered via usb, and does not need to be connected to either a computer or

a mains to charge, meaning you can charge your device even when youve no access to conventional electricity. the powertrekk charger works by the reaction created between its fuel pack, which must be exposed to open air, and a tablespoon of water, converting hydrogen into electricity, with the only by-product being a small amount of water vapour. this kind of technology comes at a price however, the recommended price for the device is 199, and its only available from a limited number of stores at the moment.

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