social media trends

Why Newsle is Big News for 2013

Niche social networking site Newsle was founded by two Harvard undergraduates: Axel Hansen and Jonah Varon, whose vision was to encourage people “to see and be inspired by the stories of your friends, colleagues, and role models”.[1] Newsle works by searching the web for any mentions of the contacts you have already established on LinkedIn or Facebook. Newsle will only inform you if somebody you are following has done something significant enough to make the news, working on the principal that if someone else has taken the time to record their actions they are noteworthy.

Newsle has sophisticated algorithms, which allow it to recognise whether the person mentioned in the news article is the same person as you are interested in. As well as being a valuable tool for social use, Newsle is the ideal resource for journalists, job seekers, potential employers and businessmen who wish to appear in the know.

At agency: 2 we predict that 2013 will see a rise in niche social networking sites, such as Newsle, that allow you to cut through the wealth of data and ‘social noise’ on the web, and offer a specific and valuable service.

B2B Social Media Strategy Developments in 2013

Many B2B brands are still playing catch up to consumer brands with the sophisticated use of social media. Traditionally B2B brands believed that if they were not selling a service directly to consumers social media had little worth. However, it only took a few progressive thinking companies to quickly prove that this was not the case. This initial reluctance of many B2B brands to embrace social media has up to now resulted in the vast majority of B2B brands having an undeveloped social media strategy. However, at agency: 2 we foresee that 2013 will see a rise in the number of B2B companies focusing on enhancing their social media presence.

We believe that social media can provide as much, if not more, benefit to B2B companies. Many B2B companies are already effectively using social media for recruitment purposes and exploiting the benefits of LinkedIn. However, social media has far more potential to reach into all areas of B2B. Social media is all about building relationships and connecting people, a process that is just as important in B2B companies as consumer brands. After all, it is still the people that are the heart of any business and individuals that drive decisions.

Social Media is also a valuable tool for companies wishing to gather and share data. This data could be key market trends, or having a clear insight into what their competitors are doing.  Furthermore, for global B2B companies social media can provide the perfect tool for collaboration across different departments, or markets.

Social media enables companies to establish themselves as clear experts in their fields. Through Twitter, blogs and specialist forums B2B companies can attract new business by ensuring that what differentiates their company from competitors is made clear. In 2013 we will see B2B companies begin to harness the power of social media and at agency: 2 we are excited to be involved in helping B2B brands continually push the boundaries of social media.

Facebook and Mobile Usage 2013 Predictions

Mark Zuckerberg recently proclaimed at the TechCrunch Disrupt conference that he believed that Facebook’s future lay with mobile devices: “We think we’ll make a lot more money than on desktop”. With click-through rates already 14 times higher on mobile devices this news is hardly unexpected. Zuckerberg admitted past mistakes Facebook had made with mobile apps for multiple devices; yet asserted that his company had learned from these mistakes and Facebook is “now a mobile company.”

With more than half of Facebook users already using mobile devices to access their accounts (including Facebook’s CEO himself), this is a key area for development. It is critical for Facebook to get mobile technology right if they want to secure their success and the loyalty of their investors.

So what should we expect for Facebook in 2013? There have been a number of rumours circulating that Facebook is looking to create its own mobile devices, however Zuckerberg has firmly denied this rumour.  We believe that mobile advertising will become increasingly better targeted towards individual users, as Facebook collects more information about users through engagement.  What is clear is that Facebook will continue to push new features for brands to drive revenue through mobile ads and that we will see an increase in commercial activity. With Zuckerberg claiming that Facebook is “just getting started” at agency:2 we are eagerly monitoring and responding to each new development.

Find your ABC1s through location based services

The folks at Flowtown have cut through the data on users of geo-social networking and location-based services to produce this infographic – and guess what? it’s the under 30 year old males that lead the way. Delving a little further into the whos and whats shows us that users with spending power look to location-based services to find out what brands can offer them. And with the data showing that those people most likely in the US to access these services on their smartphones are in the higher – the learning for brands is that location-based services can help you find your target market.

Social TV: One to watch?

TV is inherently social; shows have been weekly appointments to gather around the screen and it is a small step from watching a show to telling friends or blogging what we think about it.  The proliferation of second screen devices means viewers are able to explore, share and engage with content before, during and after the screening event – and in so doing become users or even contributors.

We are talking about fundamental changes to how programme makers, advertisers and viewers connect, moving from a shout media model to an interactive one.  Specifically, developments are in content –  how programmes are broadcast and created;  in discovery – how we find new shows to watch or information about on screen products; in engagement – amplifying conversations around particular shows or products; and in integration – multi-platform screens and apps.

What this all adds up to is the opportunity for fully integrated campaigns across broadcast, digital, print, outdoor and social media.  With the technology and hardware in place brands are starting to create responses that capitalise on diversified touchpoints – but are campaigns reaching their potential?

NBCUniversal’s Telemundo Media premiered their Spanish language drama ‘Relaciones Peligrosas’ that connects with twitter fans to develop the on screen narrative – a slow burn in terms of social media engagement, the real pay off will come as this new show gains momentum.

Coca Cola’s campaign for Superbowl XVLI (with viewing figures of 111 million) involved their polar bear characters hosting a virtual party and interacting in real time with fans via facebook and twitter – a victim of its own success as the facebook app crashed the website, creative content was less impressive leading it to list on polls for the worst Superbowl ad.

Honda’s Jazz car campaign in 2011 is an example of augmented TV allowing viewers to grab characters from the ad by swiping their iphones in front of the screen – a fun idea, well delivered, but the numbers show an incomplete return on investment with YouTube hits at 200,000 after one year (100,000 of which achieved in the first 2 weeks).

Marks & Spencer have launched an app for Samsung smart TVs with advice and buying tools across its product range, although online shopping does not feature – an example of early adoption, possibly too early adoption as the obvious shopping function is not enabled.

Sky UK are working with Zeebox to integrate their TV schedule and content into the app that syncs to Facebook and Twitter to create a social media TV companion – and rolled out during Sky UK’s Premiership Football coverage on 3 March 2012.  This tie in offers a powerful all in one solution that knows what viewers are watching, shows them what their friends are watching and provide links to shop for products and download.

Social TV has great potential for brands to enliven the conversation that they have with consumers, to engage with a light, playful touch and to build mass communities around their products and services.  And the building blocks are accessible, so even smaller budgets can get cut through and benefit from longer touchpoints.

By Rachel Moses

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