The Evolution of Social Media - What's Next?

After reading a blog on The Social Media Marketing Blog entitled A Brief History of Social Technology, my head is spinning. It's crazy to think that a mere 123 years ago was when the first radio waves were generated and within six years of that the first semblances of long-distance communications in the form of telegraph signals occured. Obviously that's way beyond the expanse of my lifetime, but look how far we've come from there.. Hard to believe actually.

For a long time even, phones, emails, and any technological communications were tied to home and stationary settings, but with current technology capabilities the sky isn't even the limit anymore. Plane, train, and walking down the street are all perfectly reasonable places to tweet, post a status update on Facebook, and post a Youtube video.

This blog post discusses how, interestingly enough, these same media outlets were once looked on as "a playground for younger generations" by most businesses, but this has obviously taken a 360 turn. Now, many businesses conduct their entire PR plan via social media sites and networking online.

So what does this mean for the future??

The latest idea - brainwave to iPhone interface. Devices that have the power to interpret brainwave activity and shape social media experiences accordingly.

Now that's a little scary. And my head is still spinning.



-Michelle    

More Research Shows TV Commerical Spending Falling Behind

Television is outdated.

Although this claim is not completely true, one can argue that the television industry and television programming is beginning to fall behind when compared to alternative media outlets. In today's society, anyone can get any information they need from a mobile device or tablet PC. Whether it is news, sports, weather, or entertainment, the sources to view media in the world are changing and television may be on its way out. Advertisers have taken notice. 

Today, Cynthia Boris, a writer on Marketing Pilgrim, blogged an article titled Online Video Ads Expected To See Largest Increase In Spend. The article discusses the transition many firms are beginning to make from television advertising to online video marketing.

To read the full article on Marketing Pilgrim, click here. 

Boris brings up a number of good points in the article. Perhaps the best reason explaining why online video advertisements is becoming so popular is because of targeting. On the internet, marketing can slim down who see's their article to the very detail they desire. Targeting plays such a crucial role as marketers are looking to spend their dollars as savvy as possible.

Research has shown that advertisers are increasing their spending rate on online videos over any other media source. Television, which in the past has been one of the most popular forms of advertising, is falling behind the competition. Ad agencies across the country will be looking to increase spending on online video, mobile video, social media, display ads, and search advertising over TV ads.

Society has developed into a mobile world. A world where you do not need to sit in front of a television to learn new information. Ad agencies have picked up on this and have now begun shifting spending budgets to more mobile and closely targeted mediums.

What changes do you think we will see as mobile media becomes more common in the United States?

How will mobile devices and tablet PC's shape to role of television in our society?

-Chad   
 

How Much Importance Do Logos Have?

Does a picture speak louder than words? When seeing a brand’s logo, without words, can you tell which company it belongs to? A logo ultimately represents a brand. But logos aren’t only used on cups, signs, advertising or billboards. Logos are in places you sometimes don’t even realize. When reading Scott Monty’s blog, head of social media for Ford Motor Company, he snatched my attention. His blog titled, “The Importance of Logos”, made me reflect on all the commercials I’ve seen when logos play a BIG part, and without wouldn’t make sense.

Do you ever watch TV and wonder who the heck is the company that’s running this commercial? Here’s an example of what I’m talking about:

When I first watched this Old Spice commercial, I was so confused about what this commercial was even about….Until I saw Old Spice’s logo at the end. Another example, which is seen a lot with car commercials, is this BMW commercial. Without me telling you that it’s a BMW commercial before you view it, watch it as though you didn’t know.

A lot of car commercials put a picture in your head of what your life would be like to have their car before being able to view the actual car itself. When watching this commercial, I didn’t know it was for BMW or even a car commercial, until I saw car toward the end of the commercial. The BMW logo is one that most people are familiar with.

The next commercial is another perfect example of how logos are important:

Watching these Ikea commercials, you would never watch the first part and think “Ikea” until you see their logo at the end of the commercial.

Monty’s blog intrigued me to dive deeper into the importance of logos; and even a closer look at the importance of a picture for a brand so consumers can relate and identify with. Logos allow guidance and a sense of community for certain brand users. A great example is the Starbucks logo. All Starbucks customers can see the logo and feel a sense of belongingness, which they feel attached to. This feeling is experience through many logos.

Monty’s blog can be found at: http://www.scottmonty.com/2011/01/importance-of-logos.html

-Sara