Crowd DNA and The Metro: "The social city"

THE SOCIAL CITY Crowd DNA research for Metro, 2010

WHY THE SOCIAL CITY?

WHY THE SOCIAL CITY? The Metro doesn’t want to rest on its laurels... It has Urban Life, a panel of 4,600 urbanite Metro readers that’s widely regarded as one of the most credible But what about the next generation - what’s important to them and what will brands need to do to engage with them authentically?

WHY THE SOCIAL CITY? A previous project paved the way... In late 2009 we tracked the movements of an array of Londoners via Twitter We got to understand different usage patterns of the city, and the role that content, media and social media played

WHY THE SOCIAL CITY? We wanted to join the dots between social media and the city... This is the first generation (16 and 17 year olds) let loose in the city with all the experience gained from having first used social media Surely this impacts on their behaviour?

BRANDS UNDERSTAND THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THE SOCIAL CITY Best practice in the social city - Nike GRID: London as a board game... A single day initiative created by Wieden+Kennedy in which you’re invited to ‘claim your streets’

BRANDS UNDERSTAND THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THE SOCIAL CITY Best practice in the social city - BMW Unstoppable: GPS doodles… Campaign from 180 Amsterdam for BMW, emphasising the GPS device on the bikes by encouraging riders to use it to create drawings via Google Maps

BRANDS UNDERSTAND THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THE SOCIAL CITY Best practice in the social city - Nike PHOTOiD: colourways from the real world… AKQA initiative allowing users to photograph interesting colourways from the world around them, then customise/buy trainers using the selected colours

SOCIAL MEDIA GOES MOBILE We need mobile access of social media to make this really work… In just four years, social media will be accessed more often via handheld devices than laptop/desktop devices Facebook users accessing the service via mobiles are twice as active Everything looks set for the perfect storm...

OUR RESEARCH METHODS

RESEARCH METHODS #1 Desk research... Literature review and social media tracking to assess the changing nature of teenagers’ collective relationship with the city

RESEARCH METHODS #2 Expert interviews... Stephen Greene, CEO of RockCorps volunteering organisation Jon Savage, author of Teenage: Creation of Youth Culture Sharmadean Reid, stylist, brand consultant, blogger and entrepreneur

RESEARCH METHODS #3 Blogging diaries... Ten 16 and 17 year olds updating us on their media and social media behaviours; also their plans and encounters in the city

RESEARCH METHODS #4 Build A City creation activity… Twenty recruits tasked with creating their ideal city via an online app Asked to layout how the city would look – from work to leisure to housing to government to what role brands might play Next to building their own city, we asked them to comment on each others’ cities

RESEARCH METHODS #4 Build A City co-creation activity - example cities... User: Nick B Name: Royal Hangleton Population: 300,000 Interesting Fact: The city is twinned with Victoria on Vancouver Island

RESEARCH METHODS #4 Build A City co-creation activity - example cities… User: Laura C City Name: Laria Population: 1,000,000 Interesting Fact: There is a floating multi-faith religious centre preventing sectarianism and extremism

RESEARCH THEMES - THE SOCIAL CITY CONNECTED OPPORTUNITIES TOWN PLANNING THE SOCIAL MAPPING CITY THE CITY FILTERING & SOCIAL OVERSHARING CITY RESPONSIBILITY

RESEARCH THEMES - THE SOCIAL CITY The symbiotic relationship between the city and social media, and why young people need live experiences and interactions more than ever

RESEARCH THEMES - THE SOCIAL CITY Isolated people? An early 21st Century cause for concern: that increasing internet usage would lead to decreased real world interaction But the findings from our research are counter to this argument Increased social media interaction among our participants results in a similarly increased need for offline experiences to fuel their online conversations Too much time online, and not enough time enjoying the real world, can lead to “unfriending”

RESEARCH THEMES - THE SOCIAL CITY Sharmadean Reid (blogger, stylist, young entrepreneur) told us why repetitive isn’t exciting... “They’re definitely on the hunt for more things to do because it can be quite boring for your friends or fans if you go to the same place all of the time.”

RESEARCH THEMES - THE SOCIAL CITY “Chatroom fear is over…” Another early 21st Century concern: the danger of the chatroom More optimistically, most of our participants believed that online interactions with strangers have a positive role to play “Chatroom fear - that’s like something from 2005.”

RESEARCH THEMES - THE SOCIAL CITY Human beings are deeply social and teenagers are more social than most… “I usually update my status twice a day and it’s a personal rule of mine that it has to be interesting or something funny or amusing.” (Hasif, 16, Dunstable)

RESEARCH THEMES - CONNECTED OPPORTUNITIES CONNECTED OPPORTUNITIES TOWN PLANNING THE SOCIAL MAPPING CITY THE CITY FILTERING & SOCIAL OVERSHARING CITY RESPONSIBILITY

RESEARCH THEMES - CONNECTED OPPORTUNITIES Amid hectic urban environments, social media helps you organise, inﬂuence and seek advantage

RESEARCH THEMES - CONNECTED OPPORTUNITIES Online and offline, young people recognise the power of networks… Sharmadean Reid (blogger, stylist, young entrepreneur): “If you don’t have an online presence it’s ridiculous. Nobody knows your mobile number, let alone your home number. But no one wants to miss out on the opportunity or that connection.”

RESEARCH THEMES - CONNECTED OPPORTUNITIES Wisdom of the crowd… “Online makes the offline possible. We discuss, we organise, we do it!” (Sannie, 16, Birmingham)

RESEARCH THEMES - CONNECTED OPPORTUNITIES A ruthless streak among ‘friends’... Facebook friends are described as their ‘fans’ by some

RESEARCH THEMES - MAPPING THE CITY CONNECTED OPPORTUNITIES TOWN PLANNING THE SOCIAL MAPPING CITY THE CITY FILTERING & SOCIAL OVERSHARING CITY RESPONSIBILITY

RESEARCH THEMES - MAPPING THE CITY Creating visual diaries from the city and the signiﬁcant potential for location based media

RESEARCH THEMES - MAPPING THE CITY Today, “it’s about documenting the moment, pure imagery…” Our teenage participants love sharing content in all forms but “creating visual diaries” is most popular and status-benefiting of all

RESEARCH THEMES - MAPPING THE CITY Even dinner is worth sharing… Close up of Ginger Chicken from Wagamama

RESEARCH THEMES - MAPPING THE CITY Location based media - they haven’t got it yet, but they intuitively get it… Location based digital provides true connectivity and makes the city social like never before

RESEARCH THEMES - FILTERING & OVERSHARING CONNECTED OPPORTUNITIES TOWN PLANNING THE SOCIAL MAPPING CITY THE CITY FILTERING & SOCIAL OVERSHARING CITY RESPONSIBILITY

RESEARCH THEMES - FILTERING & OVERSHARING Controlling ‘too-much-information’ and getting your online identity and personal brand just right

RESEARCH THEMES - FILTERING & OVERSHARING When access to information is limitless, how do you control the ﬂow? For most of our participants, the starting point is that they don’t control the flow But then they change: the more experience you have using social media, the more you see the benefit in limiting your exposure

RESEARCH THEMES - FILTERING & OVERSHARING Why limit your exposure? Leaning to manage and filter data are vital skills for life beyond teen years and our participants understand the significance of this “I’m thinking a lot more these days about what I say on Facebook and what it says about me as a person.” (Ayla, 16, London)

RESEARCH THEMES - FILTERING & OVERSHARING Brands have identiﬁed the perils of being deemed a teenage oversharer... Pringles have launched a ‘Help The Oversharers’ campaign Several of our participants felt Facebook should add an ‘overshare button’ as standard

RESEARCH THEMES - SOCIAL CITY RESPONSIBILITY CONNECTED OPPORTUNITIES TOWN PLANNING THE SOCIAL MAPPING CITY THE CITY FILTERING & SOCIAL OVERSHARING CITY RESPONSIBILITY

RESEARCH THEMES - SOCIAL CITY RESPONSIBILITY Getting young people to engage with local communities and what brands can learn from this

RESEARCH THEMES - SOCIAL CITY RESPONSIBILITY Teenagers build communities of friends but can they relate to local community? Stephen Greene, CEO of RockCorps: “Teenagers want to be recognised as a part of their local communities but are often ignored or demonised.”

RESEARCH THEMES - SOCIAL CITY RESPONSIBILITY The motivational signiﬁcance of the live experience... Stephen Greene, CEO of RockCorps: “You can’t download a live experience.” But you can upload a live experience!

RESEARCH THEMES - TOWN PLANNING CONNECTED OPPORTUNITIES TOWN PLANNING THE SOCIAL MAPPING CITY THE CITY FILTERING & SOCIAL OVERSHARING CITY RESPONSIBILITY

RESEARCH THEMES - TOWN PLANNING Young peoples’ ideas on cities for the future, plus the role that brands can play

RESEARCH THEMES - TOWN PLANNING Building cities for the future… We invited participants to sign in to our Build A City device Briefed to lay out their perfect city To name it and describe it To illustrate how urban spaces could be used and the roles brands can play To comment on each others’ cities

RESEARCH THEMES - TOWN PLANNING The Social City is writ large through their creations… A high emphasis in their creations on stability and equality, working hard together to build fun, safe, exciting environments Cities in which ambitions can be realised; and in which self-improvement is paramount Adaptable public spaces which can be used in different ways “Random, fun events - that what we need!” (Naomi, 16, Brighton)

RESEARCH THEMES - TOWN PLANNING Building commercial and social success in partnership with brands… Thomas (17, Blackpool), creator of a city called Utopia, suggests: “Virgin could help my city’s hospital if it came into trouble.”

RESEARCH THEMES - TOWN PLANNING Hamza (17, London), who wants spontaneous treasure hunt-style events in Freedom, his city, which “every single citizen takes part in. Amazing spectacles put together by brands.”

THE SOCIAL CITY

THE SOCIAL CITY The Social City Increased social media usage means young people need offline, in-city interactions more than ever

THE SOCIAL CITY The Social City Increased social media usage means young people need offline, in-city interactions more than ever Connected Opportunities Young people recognise that networks create advantage and, like never before, can help them to get on

THE SOCIAL CITY The Social City Increased social media usage means young people need offline, in-city interactions more than ever Connected Opportunities Young people recognise that networks create advantage and, like never before, they can help them to get on Mapping The City Visual content powerfully shares offline encounters online; location based media is all set to take the Social City to the next level

THE SOCIAL CITY The Social City Increased social media usage means young people need offline, in-city interactions more than ever Connected Opportunities Young people recognise that networks create advantage and, like never before, can help them to get on Mapping The City Visual content powerfully shares offline encounters online; location based media is all set to take the Social City to the next level Filtering & Oversharing Controlling the information flow sets new challenges for people - and similarly tough challenges for brands

THE SOCIAL CITY The Social City Increased social media usage means young people need offline, in-city interactions more than ever Connected Opportunities Young people recognise that networks create advantage and, like never before, can help them to get on Mapping The City Visual content powefully shares offline encounters online; location based media is all set to take the Social City to the next level Filtering & Oversharing Controlling the information flow sets new challenges for people - and similarly tough challenges for brands Social City Responsibility Getting young people to engage in local community is an important task; brands clearly have a major role to play

THE SOCIAL CITY The Social City Increased social media usage means young people need offline, in-city interactions more than ever Connected Opportunities Young people recognise that networks create advantage and, like never before, can help them to get on Mapping The City Visual content powerfully shares offline encounters online; location based media is all set to take the Social City to the next level Filtering & Oversharing Controlling the information flow sets new challenges for people - and similarly tough challenges for brands Social City Responsibility Getting young people to engage in local community is an important task; brands clearly have a major role to play Town Planning Our participants want cities in which ambitions can be met, with brands granted permission to educate, inform and support

Thanks for listening! THANKS FOR LISTENING! CROWD DNA, 6.03, TEA BUILDING, 56 SHOREDITCH HIGH STREET, LONDON, E1 6JJ +44 (020)7739 2885 / HELLO@CROWDDNA.COM / WWW. CROWDDNA.COM

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Crowd DNA and The Metro: "The social city"

by CrowdDNA on Sep 29, 2010

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Crowd DNA and The Metro: "The social city" — Presentation Transcript