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Reactive perspectives 2014 revised
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2. 2
Perspectives 2014
Contents
Introduction
Tim O’Neill
Co-Founder & Joint Managing Director
04 – 05
Google’s New Era of Search & Content
Jules Lau
Head of Content
& Lead Copywriter, Melbourne
Blair Larkin
Content Writer, Melbourne
06 – 09
What Price? The Currency of Privacy
David Jones
Analyst & Strategist, Melbourne
Brad Paton
Account Director, Melbourne
10 – 13
Let Your Campaign Buzz with Technology
Tim Buesing
Creative Director, Sydney
Gabriel Tamborini
Art Director, Sydney
14 – 17
The Hamburger in Design
Tim Kotsiakos
Executive Creative Director
18 – 21
Unconditional Project-Rearing
Brett Thompson
Senior Account Director, Sydney
22 – 25
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Contents
So, You’ve Decided to Go Mobile
Antony Clements
Developer, London
26 – 29
The Welcome Demise of Art & Copy
Jules Lau
Head of Content
& Lead Copywriter, Melbourne
30 – 33
Responsive eCommerce:
The Results Are In
Stephen Foxworthy,
Strategy Director, Melbourne
34 – 37
Ignoring Risk Management is
the Greatest Risk of All
Liesl Pfeffer
Senior Project Manager, New York
38 – 41
The Marketer’s Guide to Wearables
Tim O’Neill
Co-Founder & Joint Managing Director
42 – 45
Serving Up Content Personalisation
Stephen Foxworthy,
Strategy Director, Melbourne
David Jones
Analyst & Strategist, Melbourne
46 – 49
Innovating from Within
Carl Panczak
President and CEO, New York
50 – 53
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Introduction
In last year’s Perspectives, we looked at connected
retail, expanding interface challenges and the value of
personalisation – each one of which has proven to be
an important concept for marketers to grasp if they want
to connect to their customers.
2014 is, unsurprisingly, no different. This year we look at
changes in Google’s search algorithm, developing for mobile,
and wearables – things we think our clients need to be aware
of and on the lookout for when it comes to succeeding with
new digital communications. There is a lot of digital noise out
there, and we want to help you filter through it.
But connecting to your customers is not the only important
relationship your business will have this year.
The way you communicate with your agency and the
way they partner with you should not be overlooked. We
are excited to delve into the client-agency relationship,
whether it is how we make sure to talk less and ask more
(‘Unconditional Project-Rearing,’ page 22), or how we make
sure to regularly experiment so we always have a stash of
ideas brewing for you (‘Innovating from Within,’ page 50).
I hope you enjoy Perspectives 2014 and, as always,
would love to hear your feedback. Tweet @reactive with
#perspectives2014.
Thanks for reading.
There is no turning the digital tide.
Each year our industry brings new technologies
and new ways for marketers to speak with
their audience.
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Perspectives 2014
Jules Lau
Head of Content &
Lead Copywriter, Melbourne
Google’s New Era
of Search & Content
Blair Larkin
Content Writer, Melbourne
7. 7
Google’s New Era of Search & Content
In August 2013, Google quietly switched on
its new search algorithm without much fanfare.
Aptly named Hummingbird, it revolves around breaking
down searches as questions and then serving up relevant
answers from the multitude of content they have indexed.
What does this mean for your brand’s
search and content strategy?
Google officially unveiled Hummingbird to the world, just in
time for its 15th birthday. More than just a mere algorithm
update (as Panda was), this was a complete overhaul of
the entire search algorithm, changing the way Google pulls
in search results from its inconceivably massive database
of information.
At the time of the announcement, Google called it the
next leap forward in search technology, with Hummingbird
affecting around 90% of all search queries.
But...Why?
The rise of mobile device usage led to two major insights.
Firstly, with voice recognition applications on mobile devices
(Siri, anyone?) growing in uptake, more people are beginning
to speak their searches into their smartphones and tablets.
Secondly, instead of simply typing in keywords, more
people now search using whole phrases and questions.
The result? An entirely new formula and search algorithm
to handle these changing search habits.
While still incorporating many traditional aspects used in
previous algorithms, Hummingbird shifts from keyword-
based search to semantic search. This means that now
Google can process real speech patterns and provide more
relevant results based on the searcher’s intent of his query,
not just the keywords he types in the search box.
Particularly with voice search, which falls under the semantic
search, people tend to do so with natural language –
“I want pictures of the Eiffel Tower” rather than “Eiffel Tower.”
So now Google will serve up images of the monument, and
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Perspectives 2014
not just a bunch of links related to the Eiffel Tower. They
are cutting out the need to sift through a heap of somewhat
relevant content, thereby making it far easier and much
quicker for a user to find exactly what he is looking for.
And with a smarter search engine comes the need for new
and clever ways of creating and marketing content to get
higher rankings and more traffic.
Get Smart…er
Content is King – no matter how much we try to avoid that
overused phrase, we somehow keep coming back to it. And
in the constant battle around whether content should be
created for search or for users, Google Hummingbird has
laid down the law – it’s for both.
It’s about creating useful, quality content that’s directly
relevant to what people are actually searching for. So
setting up a blog and filling it with keyword-dense metadata
and on-page copy just isn’t going to cut it anymore.
Traditionally, brands push out content that is developed
by their Marketing Communications team promoting their
products and services. Someone types in a branded search
term, say “Nike Dri-FIT running shorts”, and gets results
directly relevant to that particular product. But what if the
user doesn’t know about the particular product, and types
in “What to wear when running?” Even if the Nike Dri-FIT
line is perfect for the user, Google would not rank that
highly because content around that product line does not
necessarily meet the intent of the search. The outcome?
A lost opportunity. And we really don’t want that.
“In the constant battle around whether
content should be created for search or
for users, Google Hummingbird has laid
down the law – it’s for both.”
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Google’s New Era of Search & Content
Now marketers need to think about what their target
customers are actually searching for, and how those
queries can be best answered. It’s the melding of Search
and Content, using the former to identify the user’s needs
and then the latter to meet those needs. Product promotion
can come in later, further down the page or later in the
customer life cycle. Hummingbird is pushing brands to take
searchers through an engaging and meaningful experience
that spans the entire customer journey – from awareness
and engagement to brand loyalty and advocacy – not just
covering the browse and purchase model.
So looping back to the example above – if Nike pushes out
content that may not necessarily promote the Dri-FIT line
but addresses some of the common questions around
running gear, Google will rank it higher up based on queries
and users will be able to find information directly relevant to
their searches – tips on buying running gear, running gear
wear and tear, etc. Drop in a couple of product promotions
on the page and voila! An end-to-end natural shopping
experience is created, engaging the user with useful
information, encouraging him to browse relevant Dri-FIT
products and then head to checkout. Simple and au naturel.
The point is: create and publish useful, informative
content that answers the questions your target users are
asking. Build your content around intent, not keywords.
So if you’re a Content Writer, time to celebrate. Google’s
Hummingbird just secured your job for another few years.
“Create and publish useful, informative
content that answers the questions your
target users are asking. Build your
content around intent, not keywords.”
11. 11
What Price? The Currency of Privacy
At the same time, there is a trend emerging that suggests
people are quite happy to “give up” certain rights to privacy
in return for a product or service they value.
We are in an era of convenience. There is a level of
expectation in the amount of value that a product will
immediately provide users, catering to their needs.
Legislators across the globe are attempting to play catch
up with an issue that has outgrown current laws with the
proliferation of data. Personal information, or information that
could be used to identify an individual, is being captured by
increasing numbers of organisations. These details are useful
because they can be leveraged to target marketing materials
or profile customers to identify business opportunities.
However, it also comes with associated risks that are not
always considered up front. In almost every jurisdiction, the
collection and storage of personal information comes with
responsibilities – the foremost of these being data security.
Privacy has always been a hot topic.
But the ease with which data can be transferred
now over the internet, especially with the
explosion of mobile devices, has brought many
aspects of privacy protection into firmer focus.
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Perspectives 2014
In March 2014 new legislation came into effect in Australia,
while similar legislation is pending in the EU and many
states across the U.S. The focus for most of these legal
changes is not so much protecting privacy, but protecting
data that has been captured – which is good for the
consumer and great for brands looking to establish trusting
relationships with their customers.
Personal information is a currency.
A concept that has gained significant attention online
recently is the notion of “personal information as currency.”
People are willing to trade their personal information as a
form of payment to use what appears to be a free service.
Services like Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram and
Google (and its myriad of “free” services) all rely on this
business model.
The Personal Statistics
57% of respondents are fine with
providing personal information on a
website as long as it’s for their benefit
and being used in responsible ways.
73% of consumers surveyed said they
prefer doing business with retailers who
use personal information to make their
shopping experience more relevant.
74% of respondents get frustrated with
websites when content, offers, ads, and
promotions have nothing to do with
their interests.
88% think that companies should give them
the flexibility to control how their personal
information is being used to personalise
their shopping experience.
77% would trust businesses more if
they explained how they’re leveraging
data to improve online experiences.[2]
[3]
“If you’re not paying for something,
you’re not the customer; you’re the product being sold”
– Andrew Lewis [1]
13. 13
What Price? The Currency of Privacy
“The information used as currency
can range from anything as basic as
a name and date of birth, to more
advanced personal data like exactly
where you are at any time.”
The information being used as currency can range from
anything as basic as a name, address and date of birth,
to more advanced personal data like exactly where you
are at any time (geolocation) and what type of activities
you engage in. That information is then used by the service
provider in a variety of ways to make their website, app
or online tool commercially viable.
• It is a proven online business model that people are
willing to give up their personal details in exchange for
something of value. The key to success is determining
what value is sufficient to entice a user to hand over their
prized personal details.
• The more fields you add to a form (e.g. a registration
form), the less likely the form is to be completed (lower
conversion rate).
• Ensure that your organisation understands its obligations
under relevant privacy legislation, especially when
transferring personal information across borders. A
collection of international privacy laws can be found on
the Australian Privacy Foundation website.
In its most simple form, the demographic data gained from
a user signing up to a website is aggregated and provided
to advertisers so that more targeted ads can be placed in
front of the user. At a higher level, Google and its suite of
products can build up a comprehensive view of all your
online interactions. The content of a Gmail account can be
leveraged to identify that you are emailing friends about an
upcoming wedding. By encouraging users to be signed into
Google Plus as they browse, Google can track what maps a
user looks at or what videos they watch. All of this paints a
rich picture for Google, which their clients can then leverage.
What does this mean for brands?
Only collect data that is truly going to add value to your
business. There is a temptation to get as much information
as possible, but unless you are going to use that information
to segment your customers, it has little value.
References:
1. http://lifehacker.com/5697167/if-youre-not-paying-for-it-youre-the-product
2. Janrain survey: http://janrain.com/about/newsroom/press-releases/online-
consumers-fed-up-with-irrelevant-content-on-favorite-websites-according-
to-janrain-study/
3. PWC survey: http://www.pwc.com/us/en/industry/entertainment-media/
publications/consumer-intelligence-series.jhtml
15. 15
Our simple answer: Yes and No, respectively.
It’s pretty clear why gadgets, innovations and tech stories
influence campaigns. Technology and science are all around
us, innovating with a speed that makes science fiction talked
about as if it’s the weather. Mainstream media covers it
regularly, whether in lifestyle magazines or featured on the
weekly news, and many of our most valuable brands would
not exist without it.
As marketers we accept that technology is a brand
differentiator. The technical brilliance of an execution says
a lot about how modern and savvy a brand is perceived,
and vice versa for a campaign’s lack of technical brilliance.
Not to mention – increasing a campaign’s tech-factor
provides a higher cut-through all the buzz out there, which
saves on media spend. Tech is a talking point, and as a
campaign element it is here to stay.
But before you start seeking out the most cutting edge
technology and connecting it to your brand, ask yourself this:
How do I make sure this technology is emotional, cool AND
fits my brand’s core idea at the same time?
We have been fortunate enough at Reactive to succeed in
doing exactly that. Last year we created an interactive robot
arm driven by Facebook users and built for the non-profit
organisation Save Our Sons. Anyone, anywhere had the
ability to sign a petition calling for support for research for
Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD) through Facebook
Connect. The robot arm then signed their name to a physical
petition. It was ‘The Most Powerful Arm Ever Invented’ and,
together with partner agencies, we targeted the Australian
government to make research on this muscle-destroying
disease a priority.
It was one thing to create a signature-writing robot (“sign for
those who can’t”) connected to the world’s biggest social
network. Adding live streaming video and posting photos
of the action was an extended challenge.
But the second part was equally arduous, yet much less
visible: getting the human story out there. Much of it was
carried by the inherent social effect of Facebook and social
media itself. The buzz factor came out of blogs discovering
the story and users getting their friends to join in supporting
the cause.
A third component was digital and traditional PR combined
with media thinking – with a clever use of search and
YouTube media, the campaign reached mainstream television
and radio shows. With over 32,000 Australians ultimately
signing the petition, The Most Powerful Arm became the
Here’s one recent hot topic you may have heard:
Can technology (not just digital) be the sole
foundation for a campaign? And if so, can only
a technology brand run this sort of campaign?
Let Your Campaign Buzz with Technology
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Perspectives 2014
most successful health-related petition in Australian history
and has entered the political debate in the national Senate.
The takeaways from The Most Powerful Arm taught us more
than a few things about how to get a campaign to ‘buzz with
technology.’ And they are not just learnings for the non-profit
world – any brand or company can buzz with technology for
maximum impact.
Technology shapes the idea, and the
idea in turn shapes the technology.
What does this mean in a brand-agency relationship? As a
first, appreciate that this approach costs time and money
before any campaign idea is formed. Reactive invests heavily
into its own innovation capabilities through global Research
& Development (R&D) Days, a time for our teams to explore
ideas that do not always get the attention they deserve.
As a client, we have at your ready a catalogue of ideas and
prototypes which we can meld together for your needs.
Developing the actual execution in an agile process, the very
first idea of how to use a technology might not become the
final delivery.
When you do get into execution, please bear
these additional principles in mind:
Get Physical
Try to manifest your creative thought in a physical shape.
We don’t mean in a metaphorical way, but in an actual
physical piece of technology. People are constantly
fascinated by new technology and physical objects. It also
gives mainstream media a nice visual to report on. So go
on, build a bridge between the digital and physical world.
Stir an emotion
Connect your campaign with a deep-rooted emotion.
Empathy with children and their parents is one such emotion.
The real hero in our campaign was Jacob Lancaster, a
19 year old who is suffering from DMD. He is an incredibly
brave young man, helping future generations who will
benefit from the clinical research. To get that level of emotion
across in our campaign, we not only featured Jacob in our
intro video but also trained the robot to write in Jacob’s
handwriting.
“These are not just learnings for the
non-profit world – any brand
or company can buzz with technology
for maximum impact.”
17. 17
Set a goal
By announcing an ambitious but achievable goal of 20,000
signatures, we gave the campaign a story arch. It showed
everyone a finish line and created positive suspense. The
fact that we achieved and surpassed the goal added to
the excitement.
Reward Immediately
There are a million other things people could do online.
We kept them on our page by introducing live streaming
video from the robot’s location. Users also saw an accurate
counter of minutes and seconds till the signature was going
to be written.
Go Mobile
This might seem like a no-brainer, right? Everyone has a
smartphone these days, and it has become a constant
companion. But yet, quite often we see campaigns which
have little or no mobile consideration. In our project we
focused rather heavily on mobile. It was a live installation
that allowed people to stand in front of the arm, sign
the petition on their phone and then watch the robot sign
the petition with their very own name. Even though only
a few thousand people actually saw the robot installation
for real, close to half of all traffic to the website came from
mobile devices.
As a principle you should involve digital and mainstream PR
from a very early point. The more PR colleagues and online
influencers that understand the project, the more momentum
it will gain. Be ready to iterate the idea and execution, even
after launch. Expect curve balls and you’ll be able to react in
time to keep the project buzzing. Be aware of new approvals
and the process required for it.
After briefly enjoying the successful launch of any campaign,
it is important to immediately measure the impact the project
had on the company or brand. There are inevitably plenty
of campaign goals to measure, but do not overlook that
successful tech campaigns will also lower internal resistance
to new ways of doing marketing. At Reactive, we appreciate
this shift and can identify future supporters for our new work
as we continue to experiment and innovate. Technology
is just the start of an idea, and the buzz around it should
never stop.
“You should involve digital and
mainstream PR from a very early point.
The more PR colleagues and online
influencers that understand the project,
the more momentum it will gain.”
Let Your Campaign Buzz with Technology
19. 19
The Hamburger in Design
Take a close look at some of the apps you
use on a regular basis. You will probably notice
a number of interaction patterns that didn’t
even exist five years ago.
Like so much else in digital, the rate at which the User
Interface (UI) of applications has developed recently is rapid.
Applications are designed for regular use, with a shorthand
of icons and hidden gestures that create a simple looking
interface. But the knowing user is always rewarded with
access to extra features and content with a swipe of the
finger (kind of like a secret handshake) — being ‘in the know’
with apps relies mostly on learnt behaviour and a language
of commonly used interaction patterns.
The ‘hamburger menu’ icon and the ‘pull down to update’
gesture are recent examples of interaction patterns that
we take for granted. Another example is the Apple OS
password failure screen that shakes left to right, as if to say
‘sorry, but no’ in a subtle nod to actual human behaviour.
And then there is the pinch to zoom out, the swipe
to scroll … I could go on.
Applications are used much more widely thanks to the
prevalence of smart phones and tablets. Instead of Word
Processing and Spreadsheets, users are spending their
app-time connecting with friends, sharing photos, trading
second hand goods, or whatever else they may choose.
People no longer use their Internet time to just browse
websites, but to use all sorts of apps that connect them
to the Internet.
The fact that the design of applications has increasingly
been impacting the design of websites should come then
as no surprise.
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Perspectives 2014
We now have an audience that has been exposed to a
variety of new interaction experiences. This, along with
more sophisticated website production techniques,
has allowed digital designers and developers to liberate
themselves from orthodox interaction patterns and employ
a host of other new ones. In the past these patterns were
relegated only to design applications.
Desktop UI is fast becoming much like something you would
expect to download and install. There seems to be a growing
emancipation of the pioneering days ten to fifteen years ago,
when there was a bigger appetite for challenging convention.
Common Tropes
The websites that look more like applications tend to
incorporate any number of the following tropes;
• Discreet navigation that is sometimes identifiable
by a simple (usually a hamburger) icon that:
-- When clicked, produces an overlay with giant
typographic menu options or;
-- Reveals menu options in a ‘drawer’ from the
side, top or bottom of the interface
• A general preference for big icons (instead of words)
for navigation, or icons that reveal words on rollover
• An interface that scrolls in an unexpected way
(for example, horizontally)
• An interface that organises content into tiles, which
can be reshuffled by the user, or by the organic nature
of the content itself
These tropes are featured on a variety of different websites –
everything from news media (NBCNews) to social networks
(Myspace) to consumer products (Wacom) and website
design services (Squarespace). Not all are the types of
desktop experiences in which you would typically expect
an app-like approach.
These tropes also seem to extend to short-lived marketing
campaign sites and branded microsites. Which presents
the question – why and when should you adopt this sort
of approach?
“Another example is the Apple OS
password failure screen that shakes left
to right, as if to say ‘sorry, but no’ in a
subtle nod to actual human behaviour.”
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“Now more than ever, the opportunities
to produce the best work are prevalent.
Every project needs to find the balance
between expectations (from the user and
the client), and the exploration of new
ideas and methods.”
Going All Appy
When and why to adopt an app-style approach seems to
differ from company to company. Sometimes it is hard to
distinguish between genuine decisions that make the lives
of the users better, versus simple aesthetic choice. But
the most obvious reasons for an app-inspired approach to
design seem to fall under one of five reasons:
1. The audience visits the desktop experience frequently,
will quickly learn the interaction patterns and benefit
from the conveniences they provide
2. The desktop experience needs to be mobile first, and
therefore inherits many of the mobile interface quirks
by default
3. The desktop experience intentionally mimics an existing
app UI (so as to induce all the positive feelings associated
with the usage of an application experience)
4. The experience needs to express a sense of creativity
or innovation
5. The experience needs to be unique and offer a point
of differentiation
Choices around the UI impact the success of the user’s
experience, which impacts their perception of the
brand, product or service. A poor desktop experience
generally equates to a poor brand experience.
Find the Balance
Now more than ever, the opportunities to produce the
best work are prevalent. Every project needs to find the
balance between expectations (from the user and the client),
and the exploration of new ideas and methods. But it’s really
only now, with better production techniques and a more
literate audience, that we are beginning to see a new wave
of best practice interactivity emerge.
A website that looks like an app is just one of the many
liberations resulting from this new design era. The web is
about to keep getting a whole lot better.
The Hamburger in Design
23. 23
Unconditional Project-Rearing
Any parent knows these lessons – namely:
• The true meaning of spare time.
• The importance of routine.
• The value of un-broken sleep.
Like any new thing, these lessons come with literature, and
like many new parents I spent a great deal of time reading
up, thirsty for any bit of information I could find. It was
one particular book on a more unconventional approach
to parenting, however, that challenged me to consider its
lessons on an entirely different level.
The book was called Unconditional Parenting. And author
Alfie Kohn promised on the cover a provocative challenge
to the conventional wisdom about discipline. Published in
2005, it divisively encouraged parents to move away from
the traditional model of punishment and reward, (‘conditional
parenting’) to a more collaborative approach of teaching
through love and reason (‘unconditional parenting’). Central
to Kohn’s argument was a problem he found in most
parenting books that begin with the question “How can we
get kids to do what they’re told?” and then proceeds to offer
techniques for controlling them.
This year I became a parent for the first
time, learning very quickly some of those
lessons life waits until now to share.
[4]
24. 24
Perspectives 2014
Holding a mirror to the agency-client dynamic, it made me
reflect on those moments when communication failed. This
new outlook on parenting made me think – what if it was
conditional processes that were to blame for agency-client
failures? Would projects run smoother if they were managed
unconditionally?
At its simplest was an observation that relationships –
of any kind – are at their most ineffective when reliant
on conditions, be they incentive or penalty. And it is no
secret that conventional project management techniques
can be weighed down with conditions intended to contain
and control.
There are many techniques for managing digital projects,
each of which have their merits and all of which would
benefit from a more unconditional approach to the terms,
conditions and human interactions that make them work
most effectively. Be they governed by waterfall or agile
methodologies, Unconditional Project-Rearing asks all
parties in a project to consider the whole when reviewing
the parts that make it up. This is a bigger-picture view that
can often get lost in the day to day management of the
complexities of digital.
6 steps to Unconditional Project-Rearing:
1. Be Reflective
“The errors hardest to condone, in other people are
one’s own” – Piet Hein
Be introspective and willing to give yourselves a hard time,
both as agency and as client. The qualities that particularly
irritate some people about others turn out to be unwelcome
reminders of one’s own least appealing character traits.
This is something particularly timely to remember when
communication breaks down and relationships are
challenged during high-pressure periods.
“The errors hardest to condone,
in other people are one’s own”
– Piet Hein
25. 25
Unconditional Project-Rearing
“There are many techniques for
managing digital projects, all of
which would benefit from a
more unconditional approach.”
2. Reconsider your requests
Perhaps when your agency or your client does not do what
you are demanding, the obstacle is not with them but with
what you are demanding. Before searching for a new method
to convince someone to do something, we should all first
take the time to evaluate the value or necessity of that which
we are requesting them to do.
3. Keep an eye on long-term goals
Keeping a sense of perspective is paramount to longer-term
successes. Have a collective vision of what you want to
achieve from a project and don’t let minor setbacks derail
the momentum or morale.
4. Change how you see, not just how you act
When an agency does something inappropriate, conditional
clients are likely to perceive this as an infraction. Infractions
naturally seem to call for consequences. Similarly, when
a client does something inappropriate, agencies often
react with penalty. Unconditional clients and unconditional
agencies are apt to see the same act as a problem to be
solved, not just punished.
5. Be authentic
Communicate as people and be genuine. Remember
that people respect those that can be candid about their
limitations, speak from the heart, and confess they don’t
always have the answers.
6. Talk less, ask more
Create a sense of safety and listen without judgement.
People fearing judgement are less likely to speak openly,
and therefore less likely to give you the information
necessary to understand the source of the problem.
References:
4. Unconditional Parenting: Moving from Rewards and Punishments to
Love and Reason Alfie Kohn, Simon and Schuster, Mar 28, 2006.
27. 27
If you’ve decided to transfer your business
into the mobile space, you’re already
making the right first step. But what’s next
and what do you need to know?
No one could help but notice the presence of Samsung’s
Galaxy phone during the Oscars in March 2014. Mobile
is present throughout our daily lives and products like the
Galaxy or Google’s Nexus continue to improve rapidly,
gaining market share and providing users with options
beyond Steve Jobs’ iPhone.
But the iPhone still reigns – even at the Oscars, with Ellen
swapping the Galaxy for an iPhone backstage. For years,
techies have argued that the success of the iPhone is based
on Apple’s decision to simply make mobile another extension
of using the existing Internet and their aim to deliver this “real
internet” in our hands.
And their strategy succeeded. The iPhone brought proper
internet browsing to mobile devices, which helped pave
the way for the popularity of responsive design today.
As a consumer, you now expect a website to adapt to
the device you are viewing it on.
In 2008 Apple changed things, once more: The App Store
was launched. For the first time, third-party developers
could publish native applications. By last October, Apple had
approved more than 1 million apps for the App Store, with
users downloading almost three billion apps in the month of
December 2013 alone. Some argue this is why the iPhone is
a success – third party, native applications opened the door
for everyone to get involved. And everyone has. App Store
monthly revenues are four times greater than its nearest
competitor, the Google Play Store (though it should be
noted the gulf between the two is closing).
If you’ve decided to transfer your business into the mobile
space, you’re already making the right first step. But what’s
next and what do you need to know?
So, You’ve Decided to Go Mobile
[5]
[6]
28. iOS HTML5 Standard Cross-platform tools
iPhone Operating System, the name
given to Apple’s mobile and tablet
platform. Any operating system (OS)
is software that manages the computer
hardware it runs on and provides
services to the programs that run on it.
HTML, or HyperText Markup Language,
is used to make web pages and other
content viewable via a web browser.
HTML5 is the fifth revision of the HTML
standard.
These enable developers to write
code once and publish the code to the
different platforms (OS) by bridging
the gap between standard web
technologies and mobile devices.
Web Application Hybrid Application Native Application
An application that runs within a web
browser. It can be made to look like a
native application on mobile devices.
An application that is wrapped in a
native application using the operating
system’s web browser control. Hybrid
applications are a type of native
application built with cross-platform
tools that can be published to many
different application stores.
In a mobile context, a native application
is an application that has been
developed for a specific operating
system (such as iOS or Android).
Native applications are made available
to users via the operating system’s “App
Store” and will typically look and feel
like the operating system it runs on.
28
Perspectives 2014
Options
There are two pathways on to a consumer’s mobile device:
through the web browser via a web application, or through
the App Store with a native application.
With the rise in popularity of the HTML5 standard for
developers, mobile web applications can offer users a rich
experience by tapping into some cool hardware, like their
device’s camera or GPS, and then also storing data to be
viewed offline. Web applications can be built once and are
available anywhere via the web and device browsers.
Alternatively, native applications fully integrate into a
platform and provide a familiarity to users with minimal effort.
For many app publishers, when building a native app,
the first decision to be made is whether to build a purely
native application or a hybrid application. Both have their
own benefits and disadvantages, and there certainly isn’t
a “one-size-fits-all” solution. Many factors can affect the
decision, including: business needs, app requirements and
development timeline.
“The iPhone brought proper internet browsing to
mobile devices, which helped pave the way for the
popularity of responsive design today.”
Words to know
29. 29
So, You’ve Decided to Go Mobile
Next Steps
Regardless of the application type you’ve decided to develop
– web, native or hybrid – the next step is to maximise the
potential of success.
The key to a successful application is to focus on the user
experience, and pay attention to the details. As you decide
what to include in your app, don’t forget – the best apps,
the ones that users access most frequently, are those that
do one thing and do it well.
When it comes to development, mobile applications are best
suited to agile development methods – iterate and increment
frequently. Focus on stability and security; stable apps gain
positive reviews.
Option Advantages Disadvantages
Web application • Quick development/prototyping time
• Build once, deploy anywhere
• Quicker update cycle
• No access to OS ecosystem: In-app
purchases, push notifications, auto-updates, etc
• Limited or no access to external hardware
• Limited offline storage
Native application • Familiar platform look and feel is
easy to achieve
• Access to all the latest features
and hardware (including external hardware)
• Full integration into the platform ecosystem
• Longer development time if publishing across
multiple platforms
• Knowledge of the platform development tools
and API required
• OS fragmentation*
Hybrid application • App Store penetration
• Use existing html, css, javascript assets
• Shorter development time, developers can
reuse code across platforms
• Relies heavily on the OS web view control
• Difficult to reproduce native application
look and flow
• The cross platform-tool may not support all OS
features (including access to external hardware)
* Operating system (OS) fragmentation is a potential challenge facing all native/hybrid app developers. Each new OS release brings with it a host of new
frameworks, functionality and development tools. The challenge facing app developers is to utilise these whilst maintaining compatibility with older versions of the
OS. iOS fairs better when it comes to fragmentation (compared to Android), with a much higher number of users adopting the latest operating system earlier. Latest
figures released by Apple show that 83% of users are using the latest version of the operating system (iOS 7), with 14% using the previous (iOS 6).
You should use app updates to add new features to a stable,
functional application. Refine your app, improve existing
functionality, performance-tune, and release. And then
repeat.
Reactive have over four years of experience developing
native apps. Specialising in content driven applications,
Reactive have published across global markets for global
clients – including Reed Exhibitions, The Stationary Office,
Cricket Australia and Meat & Livestock Australia.
[7]
References:
5. http://www.zdnet.com/apples-app-store-downloads-top-10bn-battle-for-
developers-hearts-and-minds-heats-up-7000024884/
http://mashable.com/2012/11/19/apple-app-store-1-million-submissions/
6. OS vs Android The Guardian, December 2012. Retrieved January 2014
7. App Store distribution, Apple, March 2014, Retrieved March 2014
31. 31
The Welcome Demise of Art & Copy
Continued proliferation of digital and social usage has
completely upended the traditional advertising model, and
consumers now need more than pretty pictures and some
clever words on a page to buy into anything.
The 1960s heralded the Creative Revolution, when Bill
Bernbach sat a copywriter and an art director in the same
room and told them to do what they do best. One of the
most influential figures in modern advertising, Bernbach saw
creative limitations in separating copywriters and art directors
and flipped it around, growing DDB into a powerhouse that
was constantly churning out amazing advertising.
Those were the good old days of print and broadcast,
during which the most important skill sets you needed
were copywriting and art direction. But now? Now is the
time for change.
As Apple Once Told Us: Think Different
There’s little need to explain the business and customer
transformations that digital and social media have created –
they have been massive, and they have reshaped how the
public consumes information and how advertisers need to
talk to them. No longer a one-way communication model,
The death of the tried-and-tested
Art Director/Copywriter team: while this has
been the talk of the industry for some time now,
few have actually done anything about it.
32. 32
Perspectives 2014
“When Bernbach placed the copywriter
and art director in the same room, the
two began producing ideas that
revolutionised the industry. Now, an
idea revolving around words and
images simply doesn’t cut it.”
consumers can now look at a product or service and
determine if it makes things easier, if it excites or inspires
them, if it caters to their needs – and then broadcast their
views to the world.
Driven by digital, the media environment of today is much
more fragmented and easily disrupted – up to 88% of US
consumers are on their mobile devices while watching TV.
There is just so much for the average consumer to do, and
so many platforms to be on. As users are inclined to share,
comment and check-in more so than listen and learn, it’s
imperative for us as advertisers and marketers to rethink the
way we generate ideas and present information throughout
the brand’s entire communications ecosystem.
Because we’re no longer talking to a passive audience.
We’re talking to consumers who are active, who spread
their time across numerous devices and channels, who are
desensitised to the traditional advertising messages that
simply focus on selling. They need more.
Bring it Back a Full Circle
Let’s be clear – I’m not saying that the art director and
copywriter are no longer needed. It’s more about being
open to evolving the creative team structure we are all
so used to, thrashing the rules of the old days. We need
to widen that circle to include other skill sets, integrate
them into the creative process and give them the respect
they deserve.
When Bernbach placed the copywriter and art director
in the same room, the two began producing ideas that
revolutionised the industry. Now, an idea revolving around
33. 33
“Being creative today necessitates
the versatility to work across a
variety of disciplines and a firm
understanding that it’s about
generating one great idea, no matter
where or who it comes from.”
words and images simply doesn’t cut it. Say goodbye
to telling a brand story, and hello to creating a brand
experience. It’s about building an experience that’s well
integrated and consistent across channels, one which can
grab attention and invite participation, that provides useful
benefits, and generates more content for our information-
hungry users.
A couple of years back, leading industry publication Adweek
carried an article that pronounced the next generation of the
creative team as ‘consisting of an idea architect and an idea
engineer.’ The idea architect’s role is to figure out the best
way to tell the story – whether it’s in pictures or words, they
are the ones crafting the brand narrative. On the other side,
the idea engineer is there to figure out the best way to bring
that story to life and build it into a true experience that is
highly relevant and engaging.
We do try our best. Along with the art and copy team,
agencies now include UX specialists, planners, web and
app developers, content and social media strategists, etc.
Being a creative today necessitates the versatility to work
across a variety of disciplines and a firm understanding that
it’s about generating that one great idea, no matter where or
who it comes from. We need a variety of skill sets to deliver
a great piece of communication, to produce a genuinely
effective campaign. We need this team collaborating in
a room from the very beginning, just as good old Bill
pioneered so many years before.
The Welcome Demise of Art & Copy
[8]
References:
8. http://www.adweek.com/news/advertising-branding/goodbye-
art-copy-hello-idea-engineers-101107
35. 35
Responsive eCommerce: The Results Are In
But with mobile sales now capturing increasingly larger
portions of online sales, eCommerce folk have no choice
but to answer the question of how to approach their user’s
mobile experience. What happened the last time you landed
on a website on your mobile and the functionality was
poor? I would be willing to bet you pretty promptly exited,
abandoning a potential sale, and have not been back since.
During last year’s holiday season, there was a tremendous
increase in transactions on both mobile and tablet across
the host of eCommerce sites we manage, and powered by
Codagenic eCommerce.
Mobile growth Tablet growth
Visits 94% 104%
Transactions 181% 161%
Revenue 215% 114%
*Source: Codagenic eCommerce client sales Dec 2013 vs 2012
With growth like this, the question surrounding mobile
optimisation is no longer ‘if’ but ‘how?’ Companies today
have three options for optimising for mobile sales:
The debate regarding how best to provide
a mobile-optimised shopping experience
for eCommerce is certainly not a new one.
• Responsive web design
• Native applications
• Web applications (“M-sites”)
Responsive web design is a process of making your
website content adaptable to the size of the screen you are
viewing it on. By doing so, you can optimise your site for
mobile and tablet traffic, without the need to manage multiple
templates, or separate content
Native Apps are downloadable applications installed on your
own device that can provide unique experiences.
M-sites are separate websites that have been custom-
coded for display on a small-screen device. Generally, the
website will detect that a mobile device is being used and will
serve the m-site in preference to the full website experience.
Which of the above makes the most sense is reliant on
a variety of factors, but our experience has shown that
eCommerce businesses benefit the most from responsive
design.
But why?
36. 36
Perspectives 2014
“A particularly strong argument for
responsive web design over apps or
m-sites is eCommerce marketers’
reliance on email. It remains one of
the primary mediums for keeping in
touch with customers.”
Email Marketing is here to stay
A particularly strong argument for responsive web design
over apps or m-sites is eCommerce marketers’ reliance on
email. It remains one of the primary mediums for keeping in
touch with customers. As customers rely on mobile more
than ever, it is reported that up to 51% of all email is now
viewed on mobile. (See graph, following page.)
The concern with email marketing is that it can be difficult
to craft landing pages for both desktop-optimised sites and
mobile-optimised sites, particularly for high volumes of email
marketing. Responsive web design avoids this issue, with all
content automatically adapting for the device displaying it.
A single page caters to traffic from all readers, whether on
mobile, tablet, or desktop.
For one Codagenic client, conversion rates from email
marketing campaigns on mobile devices are more than
double their website average. If consumers enjoy a
high-quality user experience on their mobile, they have
demonstrated they will purchase.
Search Marketing sends customers your way
Another major traffic driver to eCommerce websites
is Search.
Managing a dynamic website for optimal performance in
search engines is an on-going, time-consuming task. As a
result, anything that makes this simpler is a boon for most
eCommerce marketers.
While a well-structured mobile-specific site can rank as well
as a standard website in search engines, there are many
more pitfalls and technical requirements to optimise an m-site
than responsive web design. These can include the need to
manage multiple domains or sub-domains, duplicate page
content, canonical URLs and content management between
the different sites. For this reason, Google recommends
responsive websites where possible and practical.
Social Media sends customers too
And finally, let’s look at social media.
Social media is a major traffic driver for popular eCommerce
sites. Many retail brands invest a tremendous amount
of time building social advocacy and communities around
their brands.
The good news is that social media sharing is effectively
free promotion for retailers. The catch is that nearly all social
media interactions happen on mobiles devices these days.
Adobe reports 71% of people use mobile to access social
media (a very good reason to make sure your brand is
active there).
Responsive web design ensures in-bound links from social
media are all available on mobile devices, something that
can be tricky to achieve with dedicated m-sites – especially
if the mobile-optimised site is just a slimmed down version
of the desktop environment. This makes maintenance on the
backend easier for you.
Finally, there are native mobile apps. These are downloaded
and installed on your device and can provide unique
interfaces, functionality that you do not easily get within a
web browser, and the ability to save personal details to make
transactions simpler and easier. Apps, however, are generally
[10]
[9]
37. 37
targeted to an already highly engaged customer base who
are transacting with you frequently enough to go to the effort
of downloading your unique app.
If you already have a large, active client base on your
eCommerce website, Codagenic have developed APIs to
enable native iOS and Android apps to seamlessly integrate
with your eCommerce platform.
But if you’re just diving into mobile for eCommerce, we
think the evidence is clear. Usability and functionality are
directly related to eCommerce sales. Responsive web design
ensures your eCommerce store offers the best experience
for the widest possible audience with the minimum amount
of management for you.
Content provided by Codagenic.
Codagenic eCommerce is a fully mobile responsive software platform
developed by Codagenic, a Reactive partner.
Desktop
Mobile Webmail
*Graphic Source: https://litmus.com/blog/mobile-opens-hit-51-percent-android-claims-number-3-spot
Nov ‘12
Dec ‘12
Jan ‘13
Feb ‘13
Mar ‘13
Apr ‘13
May ‘13
Jun ‘13
Jul ‘13
Aug‘13
Sep ‘13
Oct ‘13
Nov ‘13
41%
51%
31% 31%
28%
18%
Email reading, by device
Responsive eCommerce: The Results Are In
References:
9. https://developers.google.com/webmasters/smartphone-
sites/details
10. http://blogs.adobe.com/digitalmarketing/mobile/adobe-2013-
mobile-consumer-survey-71-of-people-use-mobile-to-access-
social-media/
39. 39
Ignoring Risk Management is the Greatest Risk of All
As anyone working in digital knows, things go wrong.
Sticking your head in the sand and hoping everything
works out perfectly is one option.
For the enlightened digital project manager,
embracing risk management is probably a better one.
Last October 1, after a long fight to pass the Affordable
Care Act (ACA), a stomach-wrenching six (6) total Americans
were able to sign up for Obamacare as a result of the
failed government website. The next day, it ‘skyrocketed’
to 248. What followed was a very public outcry over the
website – how could Americans be expected to believe in
the ACA if the website didn’t even work? It’s since come
to light that these issues are in part a result of inadequate
project management – one that failed to fully appreciate the
inherent risk involved with such a massive undertaking. As
anyone working in digital knows, things go wrong. Probably
not on the scale of the ACA debacle – but nonetheless,
unanticipated missteps can feel just as severe when it
comes to your agency’s reputation and its ability to deliver.
What exactly is risk management?
At its most basic level, Risk Management identifies and
assesses risks, then sets out a plan to minimise any
impact if (and when) something does indeed go wrong.
Unfortunately when it comes to digital, applying risk
management fundamentals has fallen to the wayside –
not that it’s anyone’s fault.
40. 40
Perspectives 2014
As businesses continue to shift their customer service
efforts online, operating web-based transactions and storing
information in the cloud, marketing teams have been tasked
with managing them, instead of the IT department. The risk
management practices stringently applied in IT departments
aren’t always being carried over to the studies and practices
of most marketers. Marketing departments rarely have risk
management staff or risk management methodologies that
are deeply integrated into their processes.
The good news: essentially all risks across the entire digital
landscape can be identified, managed and mitigated through
careful planning. We just need to adopt the risk management
skills and responsibilities that were previously owned by IT.
These include methods like incorporating risk analyses into
all decision-making, and practising methodologies such as
the ongoing maintenance of a risk register.
Agencies can learn from enterprise companies who have
been taking steps to increase risk management processes
continuously and rapidly in recent times. Smart organisations
have a senior executive role that manages risk, and this risk
management function is highly integrated into all decision-
making.
In the digital agency scenario, the project manager typically
owns the risk management function for project delivery and is
consequently the only role with proper training. However, all
members of staff have risks to weigh and mitigate, and risk
management responsibilities can no longer be relegated to
the act of tracking risks in a spreadsheet (although that is an
essential part of the process).
“The good news: essentially all risks
across the entire digital landscape can
be identified, managed and mitigated
through careful planning.”
41. 41
“Digital agencies, as a global sector,
also have a responsibility to increase
our activities that advocate, educate
and protect our staff and clients on
how to manage risk effectively.”
Agencies need to give staff the tools required to manage
risk effectively and invest in educating them in risk
management processes. Staff can attend courses at local
colleges or online. In turn, rigorous systems and processes
need to be introduced and followed. Agency staff need to
outline and implement standard processes that educate
the client and provide the client the tools they need to own
their client-side risks.
Digital agencies, as a global sector, also have a responsibility
to increase our activities that advocate, educate and protect
our staff and clients on how to manage risk effectively. Our
industry already excels at knowledge sharing. I predict
that educating each other on risk management through
conferences, articles, meet-ups and other events and
communication channels will (and should) become more
of a focus in the near future.
Agencies with staff who are adept at risk management will
see improvements in quality, efficiency and timeliness of
project delivery as well as increased employee retention.
Clients who are provided the tools they need to mitigate
their own risks will be more satisfied with increased revenue
and savings on project costs.
With all the web-based and instantaneous activities being
conducted these days, especially across social media, the
reputational risk for our agencies as well as our clients is
astronomical. As savvy, innovative marketers, we should
be ready to consider risk management both as a service
offering and a fully integrated element of our business
management approach.
Ignoring Risk Management is the Greatest Risk of All
43. 43
The Marketer’s Guide to Wearables
As I sit here drafting this, glancing at my wrist
hardware to check how much activity
I’ve done today, there’s no doubt that wearable
computing is exciting new territory.
In 2013 it remained mostly a talking point, but this year it’s
hitting the mainstream. January 2014’s Consumer Electronics
Show (CES) held in Las Vegas saw a plethora of new
wearables being announced, from pretty much every major
electronics company (Sony and LG among others) as well as
many consumer brands (such as Nike).
In the world of product development, wearables offer up
interesting avenues for brands to get closer (literally) to their
customers. But what are the opportunities for marketers, and
how do wearables fit into the broader customer experience?
Taking a look at three of the most popular types of wearables
now and in the future, how can these be used by brands?
In 2013, fitness bands sold like crazy, led by the Nike
FuelBand, Fitbit and Jawbone UP, appearing on (slim,
healthy!) wrists around the world. Both Fitbit and Jawbone
provide ‘API access,’ giving marketers the ability to create
their own branded apps using activity data. Walgreens for
example rewards customers with loyalty points for exercising
regularly.
As the cost of fitness tracking wearables come down, it
will be practical for brands to create their own wearables,
supported by their own branded apps. It’s easy to imagine
Weet-Bix, or any other breakfast brand, giving away a simple
fitness tracker with every three packs sold, and then giving
prizes to the most active Weet-Bix Kids. Yes – attaching the
device to the family Labrador is cheating!
These days, smartwatches are appearing around every
corner, with dozens of new watches announced already in
44. 44
Perspectives 2014
“Consumer interest in smartwatches will be followed
by interest from brands. There are limitless opportunities
for brands to create branded apps that run on a smartwatch.”
2014. Until now, brands wanting to jump on the smartwatch
bandwagon have had limited opportunities. Samsung’s
Galaxy Gear developer community is currently invite-only,
and Pebble only launched their App Store in February 2014.
Consumer interest in smartwatches will be followed by
interest from brands. There are limitless opportunities for
brands to create branded apps that run on a smartwatch,
most likely in companion with an iPhone or Android phone
app. Mercedes, for example, have announced a forthcoming
Pebble watch app that will show your car’s fuel level, door-
locks and current location. Retailers can provide aisle-
by-aisle directions to your predefined grocery list, and
sports franchises can give live score updates to your wrist.
Looking further ahead, in 2015 smart glasses (such as
Google Glass) will either be the must-have fashion accessory
of the year or have fallen flat on their proverbial face.
Wearables:
A Future
History
• Fitness bands sold like crazy,
led by the Nike FuelBand,
Fitbit and Jawbone UP.
• Both Fitbit and Jawbone
provide ‘API access,’ giving
marketers the ability to
create their own branded
apps using activity data.
• Companies reward customers
with loyalty points for
exercising regularly.
2013
45. 45
“Retailers can provide aisle-by-aisle directions to
your predefined grocery list, and sports franchises
can give live score updates to your wrist.”
The Marketer’s Guide to Wearables
Either way, developers, agencies and brands can have
some fun, creating truly unique and memorable experiences.
The challenge is getting glasses into the hands (and on
the faces) of customers – not many brands invest in an
experience that only a small niche of their customers can
enjoy. Notable experimenters include ELLE, The New York
Times, Coupons.com and Evernote, who have all created
Google Glass branded apps.
Apart from apps, smart glasses are being used in
interesting ways for content creation – New Orleans Tourism
captured exciting sightseeing footage from Glass-wearing
“influencers.”
At Reactive we are busy experimenting with these
new wearables, and presenting practical and relevant
opportunities to our clients. Our teams are fortunately already
more active, running on time and (shortly) will be able to see
into the future.
• Looking further, smart
glasses (such as Google Glass)
will either be the must-have
fashion accessory of the
year or have fallen flat on
their proverbial face.
• Either way, developers,
agencies and brands can
have some fun, creating
truly unique and memorable
experiences.
2015
• Smartwatches are
appearing around every
corner, with dozens of new
watches announced already.
• Samsung’s Galaxy Gear
developer community is
currently invite-only, and
Pebble only launched their
App Store in February.
2014
47. 47
Serving Up Content Personalisation
Whether you think this is scary or awesome, it is the
future of content personalisation. It has proven effective at
driving conversions and many surveys on the subject have
indicated that a majority of users understand the benefits
for themselves. While content personalisation can be
overwhelming, it will be infinitely more successful if
marketers plan well from the start.
What is Content Personalisation?
Content personalisation involves serving content that is
tailored to a specific user’s interests rather than having a
“one size fits all” approach. There are numerous ways that
users can be profiled or segmented with Sitecore’s Digital
Marketing Suite, Adobe’s Test and Target, and Umbraco’s
Spindoctor all offering variations on a theme.
Broadly speaking, segmentation of users falls
into one of these four categories:
1. Profiled Personalisation
Information that is known about the user because
they have signed in to the website. This could
include information held in the customer relationship
management software (CRM).
2. Behavioural Personalisation
Information that is known about the user because of
browsing behaviour that they have displayed on the
site during the current session or a previous visit.
Imagine if the websites you visited most frequently
knew you were there before pageload. Or if the local
takeaway restaurant knew that you prefer Chicken Korma
on a Saturday night and Lamb Rogan Josh midweek.
48. 48
Perspectives 2014
“Effective planning of a content
personalisation strategy can
help avoid content headaches
further down the line.”
3. Entry Based Personalisation
Information that can be assumed about the user
because of where they have entered the site (e.g.
via a certain landing page, advert, promotional email,
or search term).
4. Objective Personalisation
Information that can be assumed about the user
because of how they are browsing the site (e.g.
IP address, geolocation, device or browser type).
All of these categories require content assets to support
the personalisation, which is often not considered early
enough in the process. It’s important to remember that
each variation will require a different content asset to
appeal to the identified segment.
The design and development team also need to identify
where this personalised content would best sit in order to
be most effective. Going back to the local takeaway
restaurant example, the team would need to consider what
content assets would be required (banners or text?) and
where this content should sit (header or body?). How many
assets will be required – are there going to be assets for
every meal on the menu, or assets with the menu segmented
into courses? These decisions have a significant impact
on how much time and effort will be required to make the
content personalisation effective.
For many marketers, it is at this point that even the
simplest proposition can start to look overwhelming.
49. 49
“Avoid creepy. Is it going to be something
that the visitor is going to find useful,
that will ease their user journey or is
it going to make them unsettled?”
But effective planning of a content personalisation strategy
can help avoid content headaches further down the line. The
following process has worked very well with Reactive clients:
1. Focus on business objectives. What is the
personalisation seeking to achieve? Prioritise
personalisation that is going to help drive macro or
micro conversions and overall business goals. Don’t
engage in personalisation for vanity’s sake.
2. Avoid creepy. Is this going to be something that the
visitor is going to find useful, that will ease their user
journey or is it going to make them unsettled? This
comes down to what content is being personalised
and the tone of the personalised content.
3. After an initial brainstorm, create a personalisation
matrix that lists the content requirements, areas to be
personalised and what the trigger would be to spark
personalisation.
4. After choosing the best personalisations on the basis
of business objectives, write stories that can be fed into
the development requirements.
As more and more customers come to expect catered digital
experiences, diving into a content personalisation strategy
should be in most marketers’ plans – and doesn’t need to
make you feel like your plate is full.
Serving Up Content Personalisation
51. 51
So what can we learn from the approach and culture of
these hugely successful startups to help our own companies
become more innovative?
The speed by which these companies can innovate products
and go to market is largely based on their operating model:
purpose driven, agile, collaborative, flexible and digital.
At Reactive we’ve been taking steps internally as well as
in partnership with our clients to help foster a culture of
innovation and build a more agile and adaptive organisation.
This effort allows us to build digital products, services,
and internal capabilities in a more dynamic way.
Cross-Functional Collaborative Teams
We have structured our business around cross-functional
teams in each of our offices for over 10 years. Our teams
combine skills from user experience (UX), visual design,
engineering, strategy and project management, across
different levels from junior to senior. Teams are always built
around clients so we have consistency and focus, while
ensuring that knowledge, expertise and relationships are
grown and maintained.
Over the years we’ve learned how to optimise this structure,
adjusting the mix of skills when necessary to ensure the right
level of management and expertise, resulting in the most
efficient workflow for our clients.
Quarterly R&D Day
Three years ago we introduced a quarterly Research and
Development Day (R&D Day). We stop ‘business as usual’
for an entire day and form small teams in each office around
the world to focus on a selected area of innovation. There
are specific guidelines or themes around each R&D Day to
help focus everyone’s energy and ensure great results.
Many companies are asking themselves how WhatsApp,
the Silicon Valley startup that was created less than 5 years ago,
could sell for the astronomical price of $19 billion.
Or how the digital hospitality brand Airbnb could have a
projected market value higher than major hotel chains like
the Hyatt and Intercontinental. Today’s startups could be
tomorrow’s global market leaders.
Innovating from Within
52. 52
Perspectives 2014
Ultimately R&D Day gives us an opportunity to experiment
with new technologies, such as Google Glass, iBeacons or
touch screen technology – or build robots! Our teams find
it allows them to investigate and solve problems that have
been stewing in our minds but never gained the attention
they deserve. It is also beneficial for our clients: after each
R&D Day we have a whole new range of projects prototyped
for real-world application, ready to go.
Celebrating Entrepreneurship
Our founders Tim Fouhy and Tim O’Neill have always
encouraged and celebrated entrepreneurship within
the business. Nurturing and growing talent and promoting
from within the organisation are high on their list of priorities.
Once our first office in Melbourne was firmly established,
we continued to expand our business and offer management
opportunities to existing staff. Today, Reactive has four
additional offices in different parts of the world, with
three of them created by employees sourced from within
the company.
With offices in very different locations (Melbourne, Sydney,
London, Auckland, New York), it has also become important
that each office operates with a large amount of autonomy
and runs as a standalone company in its own right. This
ensures each office is financially independent, whilst also
remaining adaptive and responsive to local markets’ specific
needs. Of course we still maintain strategic oversight and
common initiatives and goals, but we strike the right balance
between autonomy and conformity. When a local team or
office develops a new process improvement or client idea,
we have remained unified enough globally that we can roll
new initiatives across the rest of the business.
“We introduced a quarterly Research and
Development Day where we stop ‘business
as usual’ for an entire day and form small
teams in each office around the world to
focus on a selected area of innovation.”
53. 53
Innovating from Within
Ideas From Anywhere
To innovate a company must be open to new ideas. This
requires a flat, non-hierarchical structure to ensure freedom
of expression and a culture of ‘no idea is a bad idea.’ We
encourage our teams to collectively contribute to setting
goals and constantly look at how we can improve our
processes, become more efficient, and eliminate waste.
We believe in ‘fail fast, fail often,’ in that we celebrate
experimentation and exploration. It is better to try something
and fail than to do nothing.
Onsite Teams
Something we are doing more and more with clients is
deploying onsite teams to work collaboratively with their
in-house staff to deliver projects. This can take the form of
shorter-term engagements to facilitate technology handovers
and training, or expand to month-long assignments to work
on full-scale implementations. It is easier to avoid mistakes
when teams are collaborating closely and making small
adjustments in direction to changing parameters.
Agile Process
Agile methodology assumes that the final result will evolve
as the product is built, and that all requirements cannot
possibly be known, nor accurate at the beginning of the
project. The idea is that getting a usable product into the
hands of your customer early will yield valuable feedback,
and allow the product to be iteratively refined and improved.
Some clients are actually embracing agile methodologies
into their marketing process, which requires our team to be
closely aligned and communicating constantly to ensure we
are able to facilitate fast, iterative decision making. But most
of all it allows us to be primarily focused on results – not on
unnecessary process.
“To innovate a company must be open
to new ideas. This requires a flat,
non-hierarchical structure to ensure
freedom of expression and a culture
of ‘no idea is a bad idea.’ “
