Homo Connectus - Why brands have to learn to think like people

WHAT STARTED WITH ZEROS AND ONES, SOON REACHED NEW DIMENSIONS
5.000.000.000 MOBILE PHONES WORLDWIDE (ERICSSON: JUL 2010)
90.000.000.000.000 EMAILS SENT IN 2009
234.000.000 WEBSITES (DEC 2009)
1.967.000.000 POEPLE ARE ONLINE (JUN 2009)
100.000.000+ VIDEOS ARE WATCHED ON YOUTUBE EVERY DAY (DEC 2009)
13.000.000 WIKIPEDIA ARTICLES (2009)
4.000.000.000 PHOTOS ON FLICKR (2009)
50.000.000 TWEETS A DAY (JAN 2010)
SOURCE: INTERNET WORLD STATS, XEIT

A DEVELOPMENT
THAT DOES NOT LEAVE
PEOPLE UNTOUCHED.

‘IF I DIDN’T HAVE TO EAT,
PEE AND HAVE SEX,
I’D PROBABLY HAVE NO NEED FOR
THE 3D WORLD.’
Daneane Gallardo - Digital Bohemian to Businessweek

WE HAVE TAKEN A CLOSER LOOK.
500 ONLINE INTERVIEWS
8 EXPERT INTERVIEWS
2 FOCUS GROUPS

HOMO CONNECTUS ALWAYS
WANTS TO BE CONNECTED.
59% SAY THEY WANT TO BE CONTACTABLE AT ALL TIMES.
55% PUBLISH TEXTS OR PHOTOS ON THE NET.
11% SURF THE INTERNET BY MOBILE PHONE.
SOURCE: GREY REPRESENTATIVE ONLINE SURVEY, N=500 INTERNET USERS

BUT NOT ALWAYS, PLEASE.
57% SOMETIMES WISH TO BE NOT CONTACTABLE AT ALL TIMES.
15%
49%
SOURCE: GREY REPRESENTATIVE ONLINE SURVEY, N=500 INTERNET USERS
USE MODERN COMMUNICATION MEDIA,
BUT SOMETIMES FEEL IRRITATED AND OVERBURDENED.
WORRY ABOUT KEEPING UP WITH TECHNICAL DEVELOPMENTS.

HE LIVES IN A WORLD IN
WHICH MEDIA ARE MERGING.
MEDIA CONVERGENCE

AND ARE BEING TORN APART.
MEDIA FRAGMENTATIONMEDIA CONVERGENCE

HE WANTS CONTROL.
MEDIA INDIVIDUALISATION

AND EVERYONE
TO HAVE CONTROL.
MEDIA DEMOCRATISATIONMEDIA INDIVIDUALISATION

HIS WORLD IS VIRTUAL.
MEDIA UBIQUITY

AND GETS MORE REAL
EVERY DAY.
MEDIA DEVIRTUALISATIONMEDIA UBIQUITY

EVERYTHING USING ONE DEVICE.
CLASSIC MEDIA USAGE PATTERNS DISSIPATE AND NEW ONES EMERGE.
OLD HABITS DIE HARD.
EVEN HOMO CONNECTUS READS NEWSPAPERS. BUT DIGITAL ONES.
VIA HIS RSS FEED READER ON HIS SMARTPHONE.
THE NUMBER OF APPLICATIONS PER END DEVICE IS RISING.
THE SMARTPHONE HAS PROGRESSED FROM A MOBILE TELEPHONE TO
A LIFE NAVIGATOR.
MORE AND MORE PEOPLE ARE USING ONE, AND IT IS DETERMINING
LONGTERM MEDIA BEHAVIOUR.

SMARTPHONES ARE CHANGING
MEDIA BEHAVIOUR.
SOURCE: GREY FOCUS GROUP WITH SMARTPHONE/APP USERS
‘WHEN I GET UP IN THE MORNING, THE FIRST THING I DO IS LOOK AT THE WEATHER APP.’ KATJA, 39
‘THE TIME TAKEN (FOR MEDIA USE) HAS ACTUALLY STAYED THE SAME, JUST SPREAD DIFFERENTLY.
NOW I DO A LOT MORE ON THE IPHONE.’ SANDRA, 28
‘IT SPEEDS UP AT CERTAIN TIMES AND GIVES ME TIME IN RETURN.’ ANREAS, 34

MASS MEDIA ARE LOSING THEIR
EXCLUSIVE RIGHTS.
FROM 8 P.M. EVERYONE IS GLUED TO THE TELLY. NOT.
SURE, THE TELEVISION IS STILL ON, BUT SO IS THE
INTERNET ALONGSIDE IT.
OUR ATTENTION IS SPREAD OVER AN INCREASING
NUMBER OF MEDIA AND CHANNELS.
SOMETIMES MORE THAN ONE AT A TIME.
IT IS BECOMING INCREASINGLY DIFFICULT TO REACH
HOMO CONNECTUS WITH CONVENTIONAL METHODS OF
MASS COMMUNICATION.

TV ALONE IS NO LONGER
ENOUGH.
SOURCE: GFK MEDIA EFFICIENCY PANEL (SURVEY OF 15.500, REPRESENTATIVE FOR GERMAN ONLINE USERS FROM THE AGE OF 6), AGGREGATED RESULTS FOR WEEK 25/2010
TV CAMPAIGN
YOUTUBE CAMPAIGN
NET COVERAGE OF
TV CAMPAIGN
NET COVERAGE OF
YOUTUBE CAMPAIGN
70%INCREMENTAL NET COVERAGE
I.E. 70% OF PEOPLE WHO HAD
CONTACT WITH THE YOUTUBE
CAMPAIGN HAD NO CONTACT
WITH THE TV CAMPAIGN AT
THE SAME TIME! (Adults 14+)

EVERYONE IS THEIR OWN
PROGRAMME DIRECTOR.
‘IT IS AN AMAZING EXTENSION TO SELF-
DETERMINATION. NEW MEDIA GIVES ME
THE CHANCE TO PUT MY OWN
PROGRAMME TOGETHER.’ JENS MONSEES,
GOOGLE GERMANY

AND ORGANISES THEIR MEDIA
WORLD ACCORDING TO THEIR
INDIVIDUAL STANDARDS.
SKIP HALF OF A MAGAZINE BECAUSE THE ARTICLES AND
ADVERTS ARE NOT AT ALL INTERESTING?
WITH APPS LIKE FLIPBOARD FOR THE IPAD, THAT IS A
THING OF THE PAST. ARTICLES RECOMMENDED BY
FRIENDS, PHOTOS TAKEN BY THE FAMILY, EVERTHING CAN
BE INTEGRATED INTO A PERSONAL MAGAZINE.
SOURCE: SPIEGEL ONLINE, 2010

USERS ARE TAKING OVER THE
POWER.
YEAR AFTER YEAR THE ‘X FACTOR’ WINNER HAD
DOMINATED THE BRITISH CHRISTMAS CHARTS. UNTIL
HOMO CONNECTUS BECAME AWARE OF HIS POWER.
SOCIAL MEDIA CALLED ON PEOPLE TO DOWNLOAD THE
OLD ‘RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE’ HIT ‘KILLING IN THE
NAME’. MORE PEOPLE FOLLOWED THIS CALL THAN THE
PUBLICITY IN CONVENTIONAL MEDIA.
HOMO CONNECTUS CAN CREATE, SHARE AND IMPROVE
CONTENT. AND HENCE SHAPE PERCEPTION AND PUBLIC
OPINION.
SOURCE: GUARDIAN.CO.UK, 2009

A QUARTER OF SEARCH RESULTS
FOR THE TOP 20 BRANDS ARE
LINKS TO USER-GENERATED
CONTENT.
SOURCE: SOCIALNOMICS, 2009

IN 60 DAYS MORE VIDEO
MATERIAL IS UPLOADED TO
YOUTUBE THAN THE THREE
LEADING US TV NETWORKS
HAVE BROADCAST IN THE
LAST 60 YEARS.
SOURCE: GOOGLE

‘IT‘S NOT THE PEOPLE IN CLIENT
COMPANIES OR AGENCIES THAT
OWN BRANDS, IT‘S THE PEOPLE
THAT USE THEM.’ LUCY AITKEN, CONTAGIOUS

UBIQUITY
OF THE MEDIA.
WHETHER IT’S FOR A BUS TIME OR A CLEAN TOILET, THE
TASTIEST MEAL IN A RESTAURANT OR COMPANY – NOBODY
HAS TO SEARCH FOR LONG ANY MORE. THE MOBILE
INTERNET IS THERE TO HELP. IT CREATES NEW WINDOWS OF
TIME FOR MEDIA USE AND TURNS PLACES AND PRODUCTS
INTO MEANS OF CONVERSATION.
HOMO CONNECTUS DETERMINES WHEN, WHERE AND HOW
HE COMMUNICATES. IN THIS WAY HE GAINS INDEPENDENCE
AND ADDITIONAL QUALITY OF LIFE.

‘WE ARE NOW IN THE TRANSITION
AWAY FROM MARKETING
TOWARDS SERVING.’MATT CARCIERI, P&G

DEVIRTUALISATION
OF THE MEDIA.
‘AM I CONNECTED YET?’ IS A QUESTION FROM THE PAST.
HOMO CONNECTUS IS CONSTANTLY ON THE INTERNET.
CYBER IS BECOMING A LIVE STREAM, THE REAL WORLD
MERGES WITH THE VIRTUAL ONE. AS A MATTER OF COURSE.
THERE ARE NO BOUNDARIES ANYMORE.

‘FOR MANY PEOPLE, FACEBOOK
IS A KIND OF SECOND LIFE,
ONLY MORE REAL.’ SASCHA, 24

WE HAVE TO LET GO OF OUR
BRANDS.
VS
BRAND MANAGEMENT –
NOW MORE THAN EVER!

BRANDS CAN ONLY BE
MANAGED TOGETHER.
BRAND MANAGEMENT WORKS NEITHER AS A TOP-DOWN ONLY
NOR AS A BOTTOM-UP ONLY PROCESS.
A BRAND NOW ONLY PERSISTS IF IT FINDS COMRADES-IN-ARMS.
ONLY A STRONG POSITION CONVINCES PEOPLE ABOUT A BRAND –
AND MOTIVATES THEM TO TALK ABOUT IT IN A POSITIVE WAY.

BRANDS MUST BE TOTALLY
TRANSPARENT.
VS
TOO MUCH TRUTH IS NO GOOD
FOR ANYBODY.

CREDIBILITY BEATS
TRANSPARENCY.
PEOPLE DON’T WANT TO KNOW EVERYTHING.
BUT THEY WANT TO BE ABLE TO TRUST.
PEOPLE TRUST BRANDS THAT STAND BY THEIR WORD.
THAT CHANGE THINGS THEY HAVE DONE WRONG.
THAT COMMUNICATE ON THE SAME LEVEL AND REPRESENT THEIR VALUES.

BRANDS HAVE TO BE
EVERYWHERE.
VS
BRANDS HAVE TO LEAVE
PEOPLE SPACE TO HAVE SOME
PEACE.

ACT LIKE
LOVERS DO.
BRAND PRESENCE TAKES PLACE IN RELATIONSHIPS.
AND LIKE IN REAL RELATIONSHIPS, CONSTANT PRESENCE LEADS TO
BOREDOM AND DISINTEREST. ANYONE WHO INSPIRES, ENCOURAGES,
IS USEFUL OR JUST RELIEVES THE STRAIN, HOWEVER, CAN CREATE A
SUCCESSFUL RELATIONSHIP.

THE DIGITAL AGE HAS CHANGED
THE WORLD.
BUT NOTHING HAS REALLY
CHANGED.
CONNECTED MEANS ABOVE ALL:
‘CONNECTED WITH PEOPLE’.

BRAND MANAGEMENT IN THE
DIGITAL AGE IS THEREFORE REAL,
HUMAN RELATIONSHIP
MANAGEMENT.

CREDIBILITY AND TRUST ARE
THE FOUNDATIONS OF A GOOD
RELATIONSHIP.

MUTUAL INSPIRATION,
UNDERSTANDING AND COMMON
OBJECTIVES KEEPS THE
RELATIONSHIP ALIVE.

>>TALK TO US ON THE WEB AT
HTTP://BLOG.GREY.DE
OR IN A PERSONAL WORKSHOP!
CONTACT
GREY WORLDWIDE GMBH
PLATZ DER IDEEN 1
40476 DÜSSELDORF; GERMANY
ALESSANDRO PANELLA, HEAD OF STRATEGIC PLANNING
ALESSANDRO PANELLA@GREY.DE
ULLA BURKARD, HEAD OF CORPORATE COMMUNICATION
ULLA.BURKARD@GREY.DE

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