There’s a mainstream audience that is not just connected, but hyper-connected, with zero degrees of separation between them and a global universe of influences. Iris Worldwide conducted a study to determine the differences and similarities between these individuals, what they choose to share and how brands can insert themselves into the conversation with these influencers.
Presenter: Esty Gorman, director of strategy, Iris Worldwide @Esty501
Getting to know your brand’s hyperconnected influencers and what motivations they have behind their participatory behaviors To show you this I wish I could hyperconnect my colleagues in!
THIS ISN’T AN audience, this is a new reality.People talk about 70 brands a week, an average of 10 a day. How people converse - Ref: kellerfay.com/category/insights6.6 degrees of separation - A researcher at Microsoft analysed 30 billion instant messaging conversations and concluded that on average we are connected through 6.6 people.IT’S FUELLING A FUNDAMENTALLY NEW WAY TO LIVEExponential access to information. If Wikipedia was printed, it would be over 2 million pages long and take more than a lifetime to readTYPICAL DAY:“I typically wake up in the morning and grab my smartphone (Samsung note) and check both of my email accounts (one personal, one school) through the Yahoo! Mail app. Then I go to FB and check on my newsfeed, also through the dedicated FB app. I typically do this about a million times a day. I also play Words With Friends throughout the day as well… Other popular apps of mind that get used many times a week, if not daily include Amazon, MyFitnessPal, Pandora, Google Maps, US Bank, PayPal and Astrid Task (my To Do list). In addition, I use GeoQpons while out clothes shopping to look up a coupon for the store I was in. I use that app pretty regularly while shopping. Also, because of the Olympics, I have been using NBC’s Olympic app to keep up with the highlights, and what country is winning in overall medals.” (Gen Y w/ Toddler, US)
More confidentMore influentialMore selectiveFrom Consumer to ParticipantBan the word consumer! They’re participants who act, share AND buy!
…and less and less from people like us.Hyper-connectivity is redefining the fabric of how we live and the very notion of what it means to be a consumer (‘Metail’, Web Speed, Post-Social).Ref:‘Everyone’s an influencer’ E.Bakshy
Beats at the Olympics117% uplift in sales (UK) vs Panasonic (official sponsor) drop in share price while they were sponsoring itOur POV – it’s not about increasing your share of voice, it’s about increasing your share of culture.
How can brands get momentum behind their ideas by mobilising people and feeling more a part of cultureBrands have to radically recalibrate their perspective – the key challenge facing us is how to leverage product, service, distribution, marketing to create experiences that people actively select to participate in and share.While there are some notable and oft-quoted successes, in general there’s a lot more hyperactivity than there is hyper-connection going on right now.Fundamental changes are taking place. Lots of brands are trying to do stuff to respond to these changes to varying degrees but there isn’t a lot of successful work out there. Lots of hyperactivity, not hyperconnected – we need to point brands in the right direction, not chuck things at the participation wall but do things that actually workPull out things from the category and ask clients – really, is this the BEST we can do? Make it participant centric
What I our audience’s intrinsic motivation to participate? Status, self expression, altruism? How can we build additional extrinsic reasons to believe thru real or virtual incentives? Intrinsic motivations (Patricia McDonald) – gain something useful, provide something useful, to bond with others, to gain status, to define myselfOverarching insight that despite ever more access to a history of content, the ability to relive moments andIplayers ‘making the unmissableunmissable’,hyperconnectivity is increasing, not decreasing the importance of ‘being there’.
So let’s focus more on the US – what’s happening here and why?“For me, advertising is usually so good it’s noticeable, so bad it’s appalling, or so nothing that I look right past it. For me, the only advertising I really care about is for new products. Generally, if it’s a product that’s been out forever, and I haven’t tried it yet, new advertising isn’t going to be enough to get me to try it” (Youth, US)
There are tons of results, there are some that we’d expect, and others that raised our eyebrows, given that I’ve got 6 more minutes… WE DON’T MEAN YOUR WEBSITE JUST ON YOUR PC So what – it’s about where you talk and what you sayUTLITY TALKING POINT Brands are looking for their nike+ - but it’s not about that, it’s about the little things they can do to simplify people’s livesHTC put the local weather forecast on their screens and that became a massive driver of adoption and sentiment for them. Small blip in people’s relationship in technology Least likely to have installed an appMostly using social to upload photos & send messages to friends (both)Main drivers of internet usage:Drivers of brand opinion: 22% of Moms say YOUR WEBSITEWEBSITE AND SEARCH FOLLOW RIGHT BEHIND FACE TO FACE RECOS (41%) AND FRIENDS (33%), TV ads – 14%23% say RESULTS ON A SEARCH ENGINEGEN Y25% Results on search, 24% TV AdsGen Y: Reco’s are important but they better come from friends (39%) vs. someone you don’t know (18%), ½ the trust family, close friends- they’re honest then reviewsthen the brandResearch= positive impact on brand experiences, if done right…“I think the internet has made my relationships with brands so much better. I am able to research brands and companies much more easily, and get info quicker so that I can make a decision faster. I’m sure that over the years the quality of brand interactions online will only become more impressive and extensive and I look forward to that!” (Youth, US) (FEELS LIKE THE INTERNET PULLED BACK THE STRING ON THE WIZARD OF OZ)
Lots of debate going on about your website being dead – well, it’s not!Massive important driver is your websiteWho knew – gen y talk more about tech than WE DON’T MEAN YOUR WEBSITE JUST ON YOUR PC So what – it’s about where you talk and what you sayUTLITY TALKING POINT Brands are looking for their nike+ - but it’s not about that, it’s about the little things they can do to simplify people’s livesHTC put the local weather forecast on their screens and that became a massive driver of adoption and sentiment for them. Small blip in people’s relationship in technology Least likely to have installed an appMostly using social to upload photos & send messages to friends (both)Main drivers of internet usage:Drivers of brand opinion: 22% of Moms say YOUR WEBSITEWEBSITE AND SEARCH FOLLOW RIGHT BEHIND FACE TO FACE RECOS (41%) AND FRIENDS (33%), TV ads – 14%23% say RESULTS ON A SEARCH ENGINEGEN Y25% Results on search, 24% TV AdsGen Y: Reco’s are important but they better come from friends (39%) vs. someone you don’t know (18%), ½ the trust family, close friends- they’re honest then reviewsthen the brandResearch= positive impact on brand experiences, if done right…“I think the internet has made my relationships with brands so much better. I am able to research brands and companies much more easily, and get info quicker so that I can make a decision faster. I’m sure that over the years the quality of brand interactions online will only become more impressive and extensive and I look forward to that!” (Youth, US) (FEELS LIKE THE INTERNET PULLED BACK THE STRING ON THE WIZARD OF OZ)
We’re getting to the heartbeat of connected culture. – what really drives connection and motivates behaviourIntroduce what we’ll go through:- 10 IMPERATIVES- INSIGHTS BEHIND THEM- WORKSHOP – QUESTIONS WE NEED TO ANSWER
OUT OF THE RESEARCH THERE ARE 10 IMPERITAVES, THESE ARE THE HEADLINES, BEHIND EACH ONE ARE A BUNCH OF THINGS TO CONSIDER THAT WILL TAKE US TILL XMAS TO GO THROUGH, SO I’M JUST GOING TO PULL A FEW THAT WE’RE USING TO HELP EDUCATE AND PROGRESS OUR CLIENTS, I’M JUST GOING TO CHERRY PICK A FEW THAT MAY FEEL NEW OR HELP YOU THINK ABOUT THINGS DIFFERENTLYA LOT OF OUR ASSUMPTIONS WERE VERIFIED, I’M NOT GOING TO TELL YOU WHAT YOU ALREADY KNOW… Big challenge and opportunityCreating momentum in the moment: How can we create a feeling of urgency?What is ‘right place, right time’ for our category?How will we tap into culture in real time?How can we build from mass communications to a mass event?How do we fuel connections and conversations around ‘the moment’?
WHAT WE FOUND FROM THE RESEARCH ON WHAT PEOPLE DO / DON’T SHARE IS THAT THEY WANT TO DIG DEEPER INTO YOUR STORYWE TALK ABOUT BRANDS AS STORYTELLERS, AND ITS’ EVEN MORE IMPORTANT NOW THAN EVER SINCE THEY HAVE THE MEANS TO LOOK FOR YOUR STORY AND SHARE IT IF THEY SO CHOOSEDesire and ability to ‘go deep’, and a real demand for credible, authentic back stories to discover.PEOPLE ARE SMARTER, THEY CAN SEE STRAIGHT THRU INAUTHENTICITY AND BS THAT’S JUST CREATED FOR A CAMPAIGN. (KIA VS. CHIPOTLE, PROUD OF THEIR STORY & HERITAGE, EVEN MCDONALDS IS STARTING TO DO THIS) If they do give a fuck, are you going to be there when they want to dig deeper? What’s your meaningful story?KIA EXAMPLE
IT’S GOT TO BE EXTRAORDINARY AND DIFFERENT If you want people to share it, relevance isn’t enough, there has to be a talking pointPUT YOURSELF IN THEIR SHOES AND ASK WHY WOULD YOU SHARE??? THE SOCIAL LITMUS TESTHow can we make the everyday feel more special?
SO WHEN WE’RE ASKING PEOPLE ABOUT WHAT MAKES THEM SHARE, ONE THING THAT REALLY CAME OUT WAS THAT PEOPLE GENIUENLY SHARE WHEN IT’S PULLING AT THEIR HEART – BUZZFEED DOGS BRANDS NEED TO REALLY GET TO AN EMOTIONAL PLACE WITH THEIR CONSUMERS – IT DOESN’T MEAN JUST PUTTING UP A DOG ON YOUR FB FEED AND THINKING THOSE LIKES ARE GOING TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE TO YOUR BOTTOM LINE, IT’S GOT TO BE GENUINE AND PART OF YOUR BIGGER, MEANINGFUL STORIES The key to sharing is eliciting an emotional response – it’s not a rational thing.Evidence: Study of the 7,500 most shared items on New York Times. Content shared was not the most factual or helpful, but the content that triggered the most arousing emotional reaction. Both positive and negative (‘awe’, anger, anxiety) – [What makes content viral? (Berger and Milkman)]Most shared examples: Kony, Red Bull space jumpQuant data: 68% of US moms and 49% of UK moms share opinions online simply because “they love the brand”What emotional response are we triggering and how?
They can make impact in many ways, it’s not just causes. For example they’re much more likely to share if they can customise or tailor content themselves in some wayHow can we help people put their fingerprints on content?Barclaycard Cannon competition – PROJECT IMAGINATION WITH RON HOWARDS submit mini bits of film and create a movie out of it, Long Live Imagination – he made a film through user generated content
In this context, brands are seen to be very ‘mass market’ in the way they approach social – and therefore mostly irrelevant“For me, advertising is usually so good it’s noticeable, so bad it’s appalling, or so nothing that I look right past it. What’s our authentic customer voice?
Intimate groups of our strongest ties (friends, family, colleagues) most frequently drive the final decision.Key learning: think less about ‘influencers’ at a mass level and more about how to drive multiple influences within a micro networkAnd remember that despite most people having hundreds of numbers in their phonebook, 80% of our calls are to the same 4 people (usagewatch.org – ethnographer Stefana Broadbent)GROUPED – BOOK – IFNLUENCE HAPPEN IN GROUPS OF 8 PEOPLE OR LESS. ITS NOT ABOUT 1 PERSON INFLUENCE 500 BUT SMALL GROUPS OF PEOPLE INFLUENCING EACH OTHERAre we creating content for small groups (or just for large populations)?
AND THOSE GROUPS DON’T JUST LIVE ONLINE Indeed, stories recounting personal experiences and experiences account for 70% of conversations online (source: Robin Dunbar, How Many friends does one person need?)THIS IS NO SURPRISE B/C YOU’RE PROBABLY TWEETING RIGHT NOW, (SAY YOU LOVE ME! #ESTY501)77% of US moms post about brands “to share a good experience”. 69% of US moms post about brands “to share a bad experience”
AND EQUALLY, THE OTHER WAY AROUND THAT INTERACTIVITY IS ENHANCING YOUR REAL WORLD EXPERIENCES Web inspiring driving real-world experiences (both at home and on the road)
SO WHILE THIS STUDY TALKED ABOUT PEOPLE CONNECTING IN A HPYERCONNECTED WAY, WE HEARD OVER AND OVER AGAIN HOW PEOPLE NEED TO DISCONNECT FROM THE DIGITAL SPACE – UNSPRISINGLY, THIS WAS MORE PREVALENT WITH MOMS THAN YOUTHBut given everything we’ve talked about, there’s a real demand to create escape routes from hyperconnectivityBrands can focus on giving people time and space, which will become ever more valuableOr simply think about ways to get the technology out the way, so people get the benefit without the interface - Eg Domino’s pizza order button
A lot to take in … but here’s a quick summaryBig final point. In Planet Hyperconnected, where consumers have access to content, inspiration, ideas from so many sources, the MAIN thing they want from us is focus. They don’t always want us to expand our role, they want us to do the thing we do really well. The big opportunity in marketing ten years ago was breadth – ‘Durex don’t just make paint, they’re a colour specialist’. Now the big opportunity is depth – providing all the tools and support consumers need to get the most out of our products. So focus on the ‘unsexy’ product-orientated content – product demos, digital support, education tools, recipes.
Participation in your brand, marketing, product storyBig challenge and opportunity1st impressions are everything, and they don’t always happen on TVYour website is FAR from deadSearch results have a more powerful impact on improving brand opinion than TV ads Kn