somersault

The above presentation by the Pew Research Center’s Internet & American Life Project (@Pew_Internet) explores 9 commonly held assumptions about how teens and young adults use technology:

1.    Everyone uses the Internet.

2.    Every teen has a cell phone.

3.    All teens text unimaginably large numbers of messages a day.

4.    Teens no longer call anyone on the phone.

5.    Parents and K-12 schools struggle with management of teens’ phones.

6.    Teens have been supplanted by older adults on social networks.

7.    Teens love Twitter.

8.    Young adults don’t care about privacy, particularly online.

9.    Teens are active creators of content online.

See this presentation in full.

Four in 10 US consumers interact with retailers through social networking sites, according to a new survey from Deloitte (@DeloitteBA). Data from the 2011 Spring Consumer Pulse Survey (pdf) also indicate out of this consumer subset, 63% interact to find out about promotions and 56% browse products on retailer social networking pages. In addition, 38% of shoppers who interact with retailers through social networking sites review recommendations. And 43% of smartphone owners surveyed say they've used devices in stores to assist in their shopping.

Read the article in full.

These statistics reinforce the strategy of using QR codes on product packaging or in-store merchandising to communicate with consumers. But how you do it makes all the difference. In his MobileInsider column, Steve Smith critiques brands’ mobile marketing from a real-world perspective in the article Down the QR Code Rabbit Hole.

[I pull out my phone] in the aisles of Barnes and Noble [to click a QR code:] a Microsoft Tag was on back of an historical thriller Stardust that looked intriguing. Again, it kicked me over to a very attractive trailer — that wanted to go on for 7 minutes. Seven minutes! “Stop that,” my fiancée said. “Would you bring a TV to watch in the middle of a bookstore?” Worse, am I really going to sit in a bookstore and watch a 7-minute video in order to find out what the book is about?

Read this article in full.

You’ll also want to read The New York Times article, “Retailers Retool Sites to Ease Mobile Shopping.”

Let Somersault help you create an effective mobile strategy for your brand.

Initial findings from Project Reconnect, an ongoing survey based on a global poll of parents and teenagers, found a “remarkable” level of agreement across territories and age groups over which features of online ads are acceptable - and which are not.

The researchers, who questioned consumers in four key territories - Brazil, China, the UK, and the US - found that ads offering a “tangible benefit” for users are acceptable - as are ads that are “different, fun, engaging, and/or offer something extra.”

But the survey also revealed that people “instinctively” describe online advertising in potentially negative terms – “pop-ups, banners, and spam.”

Generally, there is a shared belief there is a “time and place” for online ads, and that advertisers should not overstep boundaries and “pester” consumers.

Read this report in full.

Chief Marketer (@chief_marketer) reports that “more than half of the moms responding to a study on parenting and mobile use say they first bought a smartphone as a result of having a child. Fifty-one percent admit they’re ‘addicted’ to their smartphone. And their favorite feature is the phone camera.”

Those are some of the findings of the 21st Century Mobile Mom Report compiled by BabyCenter.com (@BabyCenter). The report, built from a behavior study of more than 5,000 moms and a deep-dive study of a subset of 23 specific moms, finds that overall adoption of smartphones among mothers has risen 64% in the last 2 years. At 59% ownership, moms are currently 18% more likely to own a phone that can download apps than the general population.

Here are the study’s highlights:

• 78% admit they “love” their smartphone.

• 51% of Moms are addicted to their smartphone.

• 53% say the purchase was directly related to becoming a mom.

• Mom’s #1 feature is the camera.

• #2 feature is video capabilities.

• #3 feature is apps with more half having 10 or more apps.

• 25% of the apps on a mom’s phone are for her children.

• 68% say of Moms know how to use most of the features.

• 75% of Moms claim to troubleshoot their own phone.

• 33% use it for health and wellness (tracking family health & research).

• Moms top social activities are: newsfeeds, status updates, and reading answers to posted questions.

• 68% use their smartphone while shopping.

• 62% of moms use shopping apps to research or compare prices.

• Moms are 248% more likely than the average adult to text friends then call them.

• 46% claim to have taken an action after seeing a mobile ad on their phone.

• 29% say they like to scan bar codes and QR codes for further information on a topic.

Read the article in full.

Also read our blogpost "25% of Toddlers Have Used a Smartphone."

How will knowing this about today’s mothers influence how you publish content for them? Let Somersault help. And be sure to bookmark and use daily the SomersaultNOW online dashboard.

Religion News Service (@ReligionNewsNow) reminds us that Handel's oratorio Messiah was first performed on this day in 1742. Back then, the Dublin Journal wrote a review (originating social buzz), saying, "Words are wanting to express the exquisite Delight it afforded to the admiring crouded Audience.”

If you’ll recall last Christmas season, as a way to promote Alphabet Photography, Inc., a flash mob performed the Hallelujah Chorus at Seaway Mall in Welland, ON. The video of that event has now enjoyed more than 32 million views on YouTube.

Remember what elements comprise a successful viral video? What viral video can Somersault help you produce?

By the way, be sure to bookmark and use daily the SomersaultNOW online dashboard created especially for publishing and marketing professionals.

Takeover ads are a growing marketing tactic, particularly on major sites such as YouTube. Takeover ads take up all available ad space on the homepage or dedicated landing page of a designated site. They usually involve action or motion, and include an element of entertainment.

For example, Google Chrome’s takeover ad highlights the artists and themes it’s pushing to make the Web a little less grey. It takes you on a journey from a standard grey browser through to the Google Chrome themes. More examples are shown on BannerBlog (@bannerblog).

What do you think? Are takeover ads too intrusive? Are they a fad or will they become a standard? What strategic goal do they accomplish within a media schedule? Would you use them?

You haven’t heard Jesu Joy of Man's Desiring like this before! The music is the centerpiece of an innovative viral video (2 million views) for NTT Docomo’s Touch Wood Phone. Adweek (@adweek) gets behind-the-scenes in this article. 

An article by bhatnaturally (@bhatnaturally) explains what makes a successful viral video:

When it comes to TV commercials, placing it on YouTube either before or after airing it has become a default option. Some videos are placed on YouTube with an express intent of making them viral. Unfortunately you cannot ‘make’ a viral video; you can only hope the video will ‘go’ viral. Going beyond mere hope, certain aspects about the ads can help it to go viral. Like in the Touch Wood ad.

·         At first pass, it’s riveting. You are intrigued to find out what’s going to happen next.

·         There are certain moments in the film which have repeat value -- for me it was when the balls go off the bridge and fall in to the ‘net’ on the sides.

·         There is a reward for the viewer’s attention and engagement in terms of a message.

·         It evokes a ‘wow, that’s cool’ reaction.

What viral video can Somersault help you produce?

Brandweek (@Brandweek) has an excerpt of the book Curation Nation: How to Win in a World Where Consumers are Creators  (@curationnation) by Steven Rosenbaum (@magnify). The book explains that “brands, both old and new, need to stop ignoring the emergence of consumer power and instead embrace it and accept it. They must channel it, and in turn change how they think about customers. Humans, formerly known as either consumers or couch potatoes, are now creators and thought leaders, passive no more.” Rosenbaum goes on to say

Brands begin with the need to lead, the expertise to tell their story, the skill to attract intent, and therefore the ability to be trusted within their communities. Because brands have access to both paid and earned media (advertising and public relations), as well as their own brand space, they are inherently publishers. The big change for the brands that have been built in the post-millennium world is that they are media, rather than buying media. For example, Starbucks sees such remarkable foot traffic and return visits through its doors that it doesn’t need to buy television advertising to reach its customers. Its stores, its signage, its window displays are all media that lets it tell its story to customers....

In order for brands to be present and participate in the new “social” world, they need to have a voice. And a voice that is more than a monologue. A dialogue. And that requires that they develop a curatorial context for the space they’re in — and a way to share ideas that come from their area of expertise, but not necessarily their own content creators....

[B]rands that ignore the need to embrace an editorial voice are bound to be unhappy when consumers use their newfound power to talk about them —whether they like it or not.

Read the full excerpt.

Let Somersault help you effectively communicate your brand using social media. And be sure to bookmark and use daily the SomersaultNOW online dashboard that features RSS feeds of articles on the topic of branding and links to services that will help you monitor the social media buzz swirling around your brand.

eMarketer (@eMarketer) reports that according to a survey of social media marketers, the most valuable aspects of social media brand fans go beyond anything with an immediate monetary value.

At the top of the list were the fan’s value as a source of insight and increased loyalty overall. Advocacy and engagement were also important to at least three-quarters of respondents.

Read this in full.

As you set your social media marketing strategy, are you focusing on long-term relational objectives or short-term sales goals?

• The most retweeted tweets occur between 2-5pm Eastern Time, Thursday & Friday.
• Twitter links click-through-rate (CTR) dips on Mondays & Thursdays; all other days are strong.
• Twitter CTRs are strongest 10am & 5pm ET.
• Twitter CTRs don’t decline at night.
• Don’t be afraid to tweet more for maximum effectiveness.
• Post updates to Facebook pages every-other day.
• Weekends are best for Facebook sharing of links for both B2C & B2B.
• Articles published in the morning are shared on Facebook slightly more often than those published in the afternoon.
• Most people check their email in morning (but percentages are still very high into the evening and night).
• Email open rates tend to be higher on weekends and early in the mornings.
• Emails get more attention on weekends.
• Emailing frequently doesn’t diminish CTRs as long as the content is valuable and relevant to the subscriber.
• Frequent emailing of quality content does not increase unsub rates.
• The newest subscribers to your email list are your best.
• Most people read blogs in the morning and afternoon. More men read blogs in the evening and night than women.
• Monday is the day for heavy blog reading; Tuesday dips; Wednesday through Friday are equal; dipping again on the weekend.
• Blog posts at 10-11am ET tend to get more views.
• Blog comments spike on weekends.
• Blog early in the morning to get more links by the linkeratti.
• Blog more frequently; even multiple times per day.

See the SlideShare slides.

See the recorded webinar.